NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Stationery

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department has spent on branded stationery and gifts for  (a) internal and  (b) external promotional use in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The costs requested for the Department, excluding its agencies and Executive NDPBs, in each of the last five years, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Internal  External 
			 2004-05 0 841 
			 2005-06 318 26,149 
			 2006-07 0 22,046 
			 2007-08 665 23,868 
			 2008-09 698 8,548 
		
	
	Community Safety Unit (CSU) accounts for around 50 per cent. of the costs. CSU purchased items to support campaigns that had been running from 2005-06, such as the domestic burglary campaign. CSU's 2008-09 costs relate more to Community Safety Week and ongoing community safety events rather than major campaigns, hence the fall in spend.

SCOTLAND

Departmental ICT

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, Central (Jeremy Willott) of 24 April 2009,  Official Report, column 978W, on departmental ICT, what recent discussions he has had with Scottish Executive Ministers on steps to reduce carbon emissions from ICT systems in his Department.

Ann McKechin: My officials are in regular communication with their counterparts in the Scottish Government about the information and communications technology system (SCOTS) which the Scotland Office shares with the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government are complying with the same standards as those set out in the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on the purchase of  (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and  (b) printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years.

Ann McKechin: The Office does not record this information in the form requested.

Departmental Training

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's policy is on the practice of holding departmental away days outside the Department's buildings.

Ann McKechin: My Office has not laid down a policy on holding departmental away days outside the Department's buildings. Occasional staff events off site are approved by the Director of the Scotland Office, when there is a clear benefit to the business to be gained. Whether Government or hotel accommodation is used, it must be fit for purpose and provide value for money taking account of the nature of the event.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Blackwater Estuary: Pollution

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on (i) the effects on the marine ecology of the Blackwater Estuary of chlorination of water inlet and outlet pipes at Bradwell power station, with particular reference to the native oyster population and (ii) changes to such effects arising from the construction of a new nuclear power station at Bradwell.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA has neither commissioned nor evaluated any such research. However, analysis of samples of cooling water discharges undertaken by the Environment Agency has not identified any significant issue regarding chlorine.
	Detailed proposals for developing a new nuclear power station at Bradwell have yet to come forward. As a result, the Environment Agency is unable to comment on any potential changes on the marine ecology resulting from new construction at the site.

Common Fisheries Policy

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the European Commission on reform of the Common Fisheries Policy.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I exchanged correspondence with Commissioner Joe Borg of the European Commission on the reform of the common fisheries policy in April this year. I presented the UK's early thoughts on reform of the common fisheries policy at the April Agriculture and Fisheries Council where the European Commission presented its Green Paper on reform of the common fisheries policy.

Departmental Training

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on holding departmental away days at locations other than departmental premises.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Each business area in DEFRA has a devolved learning and development budget which is used to fund locally arranged training for staff. This can include staff away days and team building exercises.
	Managers have discretion to decide whether or not to hold away days and, if so, whether these should be held at locations other than departmental premises. In exercising this discretion, managers will be expected to ensure that value for money considerations are fully taken into account, and to evaluate all alternative options.

Fisheries: Expenditure

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent by the Marine and Fisheries Agency on fisheries enforcement in each of the last 10 years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Marine Fisheries Agency was created on 1 October 2005 and was renamed the Marine and Fisheries Agency on 1 April 2007, when it took on marine licensing responsibilities.
	A summary of the expenditure on fisheries enforcement over the life of the agency to date is as follows. The figures for 2004-05 is a broad estimate from the comparative figures in the annual report and accounts.
	
		
			   £  million 
			 2008-09 12.1 
			 2007-08 12.3 
			 2006-07 12.3 
			 2005-06 12.2 
			 2004-05 12.2

Recycling

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he has considered to increase levels of plastic and glass bottle recycling; if he will bring forward proposals to promote bottle return schemes in shops; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what measures he has considered to increase levels of plastic and glass bottle recycling; what consideration he has given to tax incentives for  (a) companies who recycle,  (b) companies who do not and  (c) the promotion of bottle return schemes in shops; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The Government provide incentives and support for recycling by companies, for example through advisory services provided by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). In addition the landfill tax discourages landfill and encourages the recycling and recovery of wastes.
	The Government also provide capital grant and other funding for the demonstration and pre-commercial deployment of low carbon and renewable energy technologies under the Environmental Transformation Fund, which has a budget of £400 million over the 2008-11 period. The Government also provide support for renewables through market drivers such as the renewables obligation, which is expected to be worth around £1 billion a year by 2010.
	In December 2008 DEFRA published a report into packaging deposit systems and the role they might play in increasing recovery and recycling of single use drink containers (plastic, aluminium and glass) in the UK. The report was completed in consultation with a range of industry stakeholders and reviewed deposit systems in four other EU member states to assess the implications of introducing such a system in the UK.
	The report concluded that while deposit schemes would increase recycling, alternative schemes could achieve the same or better results at a lower cost, as the relative cost of introducing a deposit scheme system was high. For example, the deposit scheme operating in Germany costs three times as much per container as a household collection system.
	However, the Government are keeping an open mind in regard to deposit schemes and 'reverse vending', where vending machines take used bottles and cans for recycling and usually give a reward such as supermarket loyalty points or vouchers. A number of reverse vending systems are being set up by major retailers and the performance of these systems is being monitored.

Rivers: Pollution

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions for river pollution were brought by the Environment Agency in each of the last five years; and how many of those were successful.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The table shows the number of successful prosecutions for water pollution under section 85 of the Water Resources Act 1991 between 2004 and 2008. This information comes from the Environment Agency's National Enforcement Database.
	
		
			   Rivers  All controlled w aters( 1) 
			   Total  Successful  Total  Successful 
			 2004 57 56 190 187 
			 2005 53 51 235 231 
			 2006 44 43 189 184 
			 2007 44 42 183 177 
			 2008 37 36 148 146 
			 (1) Under the Water Resources Act 1991, 'controlled waters' are defined as rivers, lakes, groundwaters or tidal and coastal waters up to three nautical miles out to sea.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

E-mail and Intranet

David Drew: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission on how many occasions PICT has shut down the parliamentary  (a) e-mail system and  (b) intranet (i) wholly and (ii) partially in the last 12 months; and what the reasons for the shut-down were in each case.

Nick Harvey: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Mailboxes are stored on any one of five mail servers. The closure of any one of these servers would impact only on those users with mailboxes stored on it. Each server contains approximately 2,500 mailboxes. For the purpose of the answer, the closure of an individual server is reported as (ii) partially.
	(i) The e-mail service has not been wholly shut down for the last 12 months.
	(ii) The e-mail service has been partially shutdown on the following occasions in the last 12 months:
	29-31 August 2008: 41 hours—one server failed due to software problems;
	29-30 October 2008: 11 hours 30 minutes—one server failed due to software problems;
	10-11 March 2009: 15 hours 30 minutes—one server failed due to a backup failure;
	1 April 2009: Two hours 35 minutes—one server failed due to anti-virus scanner failure;
	4 April 2009: All servers were down at some point during an eight hour period for security patch installation.
	 (b) (i) The Parliamentary intranet has been wholly shutdown on the following occasions during the last 12 months:
	24 January 2008: 45 minutes due to a domain name service (DNS) failure;
	29 February 2008: One hour and 30 minutes due to a proxy server service failure.
	The Parliamentary intranet has also been unavailable due to planned maintenance on the following occasions:
	21 March 2009: nine hours due to emergency security patch requirements
	(ii) The Parliamentary intranet has not been partially shutdown during the last 12 months.

E-mail and Intranet

David Drew: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many complaints the House authorities have received about the speed or reliability of the parliamentary  (a) e-mail system and  (b) intranet in the last 12 months.

Nick Harvey: All complaints are logged in PICT's case management system. There is no record of a complaint being made for either of the above items in the past 12 months. This answer does not cover complaints about unavailability of broadband or VPN which may have resulted in loss of access to email or the internet.

E-mail and Intranet

Christopher Huhne: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission who the internet service provider is for the parliamentary IT system; and whether the  (a) provider and  (b) system will be subject to the provisions of the UK Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009.

Nick Harvey: The internet service provider for Parliament is Colt. The provisions of the UK Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 apply to all public communications providers to whom a written notice has been given by the Secretary of State. I understand that Colt has not received such a notice.

DEFENCE

Air Force: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) average,  (b) shortest and  (c) longest tour interval for the (i) RAF Field Regiment, (ii) RAF Rapier, (iii) RAF Biological Detection and (iv) Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment squadron was in the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: The RAF average, shortest and longest tour intervals, i.e. the interval between overseas deployments, for the:
	(i) RAF Regiment Field Squadrons are:
	
		
			   Number of months 
			 Average 12.5 
			 Shortest 11.5 
			 Longest 23 
		
	
	(ii) RAF Rapier. The RAF Rapier role was transferred to the Army in 2007 and the Squadrons disbanded or became field regiments. The squadron tour intervals between 2007 and 2004 are:
	
		
			   Number of months 
			 Average 7 
			 Shortest 6 
			 Longest 24 
		
	
	(iii) RAF Biological Detection. The unit has not been deployed as a formed unit since 2003.
	(iv) Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment do not deploy as a formed unit but augment Regiment Squadrons in Theatre when required.

Air Force: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of personnel serving with  (a) each RAF Field Regiment and  (b) each RAF aircraft type exceed the level set out in harmony guidelines.

Bob Ainsworth: The percentage of personnel exceeding the harmony guideline levels within the RAF field regiments are:
	
		
			   Personnel breaching unit harmony guidelines (percentage) 
			 RAF regiment non-officers(1) 40.8 
			 RAF regiment officer(1) 27.4 
			 (1) Refers to all RAF regiment personnel 
		
	
	The information requested in relation to separate RAF field regiments and for personnel serving with each RAF aircraft type is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Aviation

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of flights  (a) to and  (b) from operational theatres have been (i) cancelled and (ii) delayed in each year since 2007; what the (A) location and (B) destination was of each such delayed flight; and what the (1) the length of time of and (2) reason for the delay was of each such delayed flight.

Bob Ainsworth: I will write to the hon. Member.

Armed Forces: Dental Services

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Defence Dental Service officers were based  (a) in the UK and  (b) abroad, including those deployed on operations, in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: The numbers of Defence Dental Service Officers are provided in the following table, as at 1 April in each year stated. Figures as at 1 April 2009 have yet to be finalised.
	
		
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  (a) UK  
			 Military 198 198 200 202 198 
			 Civilian 42 42 42 37 37 
			  (b) Abroad  
			 Military 52 52 50 56 56 
			 Civilian 11 11 11 11 11 
		
	
	No civilian dental practitioners are deployed on operations. The uniformed defence dental service officers deployed on operations are drawn from the total cadre based in the UK and abroad as provided in the table. The numbers deployed on operations overseas in each calendar year were:
	
		
			   Number of operations 
			 2004 36 
			 2005 36 
			 2006 48 
			 2007 47 
			 2008 46

Armed Forces: Housing

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) longest and  (b) average period of time taken to make repairs to a forces accommodation property after a call-out was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: The requested information is not held centrally and will take a little time to collate and verify. I will write to the hon. Member.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many Vector armoured vehicles have been bought by his Department since 2006; and how many such vehicles have been deployed in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq;
	(2)  how many Vector armoured vehicles are in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Quentin Davies: 178 Vector Protected Patrol Vehicles have been delivered since 2006. Details on the number of Vectors deployed is being withheld for reasons of operational security.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any of the second tranche of Mastiffs have been deployed to  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Quentin Davies: A number of Mastiff tranche 2 vehicles have already deployed to Afghanistan, however, none have deployed to Iraq. Details of the numbers deployed to Afghanistan are being withheld for reasons of operational security.

Army: Labour Turnover

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the  (a) inflow to and  (b) outflow from each infantry battalion was in each year since 2001;
	(2)  what the  (a) outflow and  (b) voluntary outflow from each service was in each of the last three years, broken down by length of service.

Bob Ainsworth: Current inflow and outflow information for the Army is not segregated by infantry battalions and is only provided as an overall Army level due to the ongoing validation of data following the implementation of the new JPA system. Historical flow information broken down by each Infantry Battalion is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, the inflow and outflow to the trained strength of the total Army can be found in Table 4 and 6 of Tri-Service Publication 4, UK Armed Forces Quarterly Manning Report. This can be found at the following link:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/index.php?page==48&thiscontent=20&date=2009-02-26&pubType=1&PublishTime=09:30:00&from=home&tabOption=3
	Information on outflow and voluntary outflow from each service in the last three years broken down by length of service of armed forces personnel is currently unavailable and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required,  (b) actual and  (c) fit for task strength of each corps of the Army is.

Bob Ainsworth: In the following table, the requirement figures requested are shown by the funded liability, as at 1 March 2009(1):
	
		
			  Organisation  Funded liability  Trained strength 
			 Royal Armoured Corps 5,690 5,680 
			 Royal Artillery 7,510 7,240 
			 Royal Engineers 9,370 (2)9,600 
			 Royal Signals 8,440 7,750 
			 Infantry 24,540 23,200 
			 Army Air Corps 2,030 2,050 
			 Royal Army Chaplains Department 150 130 
			 Royal Logistics Corps 15,550 14,900 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 3,350 2,960 
			 Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 9,900 9,460 
			
			  Adjutant General's Corps   
			 Provost 1,650 1,710 
			 Staff and Personnel Support 3,820 3,500 
			 Military Provost Service 100 105 
			 Educational and Training Services 315 343 
			 Army Legal Services 109 103 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 220 290 
			 Small Arms School Corps 140 150 
			 Royal Army Dentistry Corps 440 380 
			 Intelligence Corps 1,610 1,450 
			 Army Physical Training Corps 430 450 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Auxiliary Nursing Corps 1,270 1,030 
			 Corps of Army Music 890 810 
			 Staff 720 850 
			 Territorial Army 42,040 34,310 
			 (1) Figures are rounded and exclude Gurkhas. (2) Provisional. 
		
	
	As at 1 April, Infantry "Fit for Task" (interpreted as "Fit to Deploy") strength, excluding 1 Para and 1 Rifles, was 18,995. "Fit for Task" figures for other Corps are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army: Recruitment

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding his Department budgeted for overseas travel expenses for Army recruitment teams in each of the last 10 years.

Bob Ainsworth: Army recruiting teams (formerly known as regimental recruiting teams) operate in the United Kingdom and do not incur any costs for overseas travel.
	However, the Army's overseas pre-selection teams, which travel to countries that have a high number of people who have applied to join the Army, have incurred the following costs for flights, transport and accommodation charges for staff:
	
		
			  Financial year  Cost (£) 
			 2005-06 42,507 
			 2006-07 78,639 
			 2007-08 197,589 
			 2008-09 140,566 
		
	
	Costs prior to 2005-06 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ex-servicemen: Military Decorations

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many veterans badges have been issued to residents in Hendon to date.

Kevan Jones: This information is not readily available and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) men and  (b) women left the armed forces within six months of returning from service in (i) Iraq and (i) Afghanistan in 2007-08.

Bob Ainsworth: An estimate of the number of male and female UK armed forces personnel identified as having left Iraq or Afghanistan during 2007-08 and who were no longer in the armed forces six months later is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Deployed c ountry  Male  Female  Total 
			 Afghanistan 530 10 540 
			 Iraq 510 20 540 
			 Total 1,040 40 1,080 
			  Notes: 1. UK armed forces personnel includes all UK regular forces and Gurkhas but excludes all reservist personnel. 2. Data exclude repeat tours. Where individuals have deployed to both theatres in 2007-08 they are shown against the latest country of deployment. 3. Data include all personnel who left Iraq or Afghanistan in FY 2007-08 without returning thereafter and were no longer in the armed forces six months after having left Iraq or Afghanistan. 4. Data include all outflow reasons from the armed forces, including operational and non-operational fatalities. 5. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10, totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sum of their rounded parts. 6. All data are provisional and subject to review.

Joint Rapid Reaction Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which regiment or battalion forms the Spearhead Land Element (SLE); whether it is fully equipped; whether the present SLE is deployed; and when the future SLE will take over from the present SLE.

Bob Ainsworth: The 1st Battalion the Royal Anglian Regiment forms the Spearhead Land Element (SLE), which is not currently deployed. The SLE is fully equipped in accordance with the Joint Rapid Reaction Force Directive and operational mounting instructions. The next SLE will be provided by the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, who will assume this role from 1 August 2009.

Joint Rapid Reaction Force

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which regiment or battalion forms the Small Scale Contingent Battle Group; whether it is fully equipped; whether the present Small Scale Contingent Battle Group is deployed; and when the future Small Scale Contingent Battle Group will take over.

Bob Ainsworth: The 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment forms the Small Scale Contingent Battle Group (SSCBG), which is not currently deployed. The SSCBG is equipped according to their readiness state. The next SSCBG will be provided by 42 Commando Royal Marines, who will assume this role from 1 December 2009.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) required,  (b) actual and  (c) fit for duty strength of each helicopter crew unit in each service is.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1148W. The information requested in relation to fit for duty strengths for helicopter crew is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Royal Irish Regiment: Pay

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to inform former members of the Royal Irish Regiment who received overpayment through the Special Capital Payment Scheme that they are not required to reimburse the scheme;
	(2)  on what date it was determined that former members of the Royal Irish Regiment who received overpayments from the Special Capital Payments Scheme would not be required to reimburse the scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Former members of the Royal Irish Regiment remain required to reimburse any overpayment of special capital payment they have received.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Greater London

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects on the number of flights over east London of the expansion of Heathrow Airport, with particular reference to Walthamstow.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The adding capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document in November 2007 contained indicative flight path maps. Figure 9 shows that in 2002 Walthamstow was overflown by an average of 298 arriving aircraft a day at a height of 6,000 to 3,000 feet. Figures 8a and 8b show that in 2030, with a fully utilised third runway, numbers are predicted to fall to an average of 260 aircraft a day at a height of more than 6,000 feet. This is because, with a third runway, arrivals would be spread between three runways and final approaches would be further out from the airport, so aircraft would be higher at the point where they are overflying Walthamstow. Walthamstow is not overflown by departing aircraft at a height of less than 4,000 feet and that would continue to be the case with a third runway.

Buses: EU Law

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) buses and  (b) coaches have been subject to recall under the provisions of EU Directive 2007/46/EC Article 32, and EU Directive 2001/95/EC since each such Directive came into force.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There have been 57 recall notifications involving 12,462 vehicles. We do not have figures separately relating to buses and coaches.

Buses: EU Law

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of changing UK safety standards for buses in the light of EU Directive 2007/46/EC, with particular reference to the testing of seating and buggy space for passenger safety.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has made no specific assessment of the merits of introducing EU Directive 2007/46/EC with respect to the safety of seating and buggy spaces on buses.
	The seating requirements contained within current national regulations and those referred to in the new European directive are similar, but neither contains specific provisions for buggy spaces. General vehicle safety regulations would prevent a vehicle entering service which presented a clear hazard to its passengers or other road users.

Cycling: Mobile Phones

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to discourage the use of hand-held mobile phones while cycling.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport advises cyclists through publications such as The Highway Code to "avoid any distractions when cycling" and to "keep both hands on the handlebars except when signalling or changing gear"; Tales of the Road—A highway code for young road users—also advises "not to use a personal stereo or mobile phone whilst cycling".

Departmental Complaints

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

Geoff Hoon: All complaints to the Department for Transport, however they are received, are handled in accordance with the Department's published complaints procedure. This can be viewed on the internet at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/complaints

Departmental Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) guidelines and  (b) safeguards his Department has in place for the commercial licensing of its departmental databases.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 30 April 2009
	The Department for Transport has published an Information Charter
	www.dft.gov.uk/about/informationcharter
	which sets out its commitment to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 in the use and disclosure of personal data. Similarly, each of our agencies has published its own Information Charter which can be viewed on their websites.
	Furthermore, the Department has issued guidelines on the reuse of its information for commercial purposes. These make clear that, among other requirements: resources must not be diverted from core functions (including any resources involved in anonymisation/preparation of the information, or in setting up and running the scheme); a third party must not own the intellectual property rights; only anonymised data should be used for bulk sharing with private sector bodies; and that the production of the information is not outside core functions of DFT.
	Two of the Department's Executive agencies, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and Driving Standards Agency (DSA), have a derogation from the Office of Public Sector Information to license the re-use of their information and are accredited under the Information Fair Trader Scheme. The information they sell is anonymised and the licences and corresponding contracts restrict how the data can be used.

Departmental Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which of his Department's  (a) centrally managed and  (b) agency managed databases are commercially licensed for the use of private companies; to whom each is licensed; and how much revenue his Department has received for each licence.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 30 April 2009
	None of the central Department for Transport's databases or those of its agencies are commercially licensed in their entirety for the use of private companies. Two of our agencies, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and the Driver Standards Agency (DSA), license information extracted from their databases for commercial re-use. This is done in accordance with their derogation from the Office of Public Sector Information and their accreditation under the Information Fair Trader Scheme.
	DVLA sell extracts from their Vehicle Database, consisting of anonymised vehicle data. The following figures show DVLA's total annual income from this over the last five years.
	
		
			   £000 
			 2003-04 993 
			 2004-05 1,093 
			 2005-06 1,722 
			 2006-07 2,051 
			 2007-08 2,005 
			 2008-09 (1)1,710 
			 (1 )Provisional 
		
	
	A list of the companies that DVLA have licensed to re-use this information has been placed in the House Library.
	The individual income from these companies could not be calculated without incurring disproportionate cost.
	DSA license the use of the Official DSA Theory Test question banks and 16 simulated Hazard Perception Test video clips for use by other publishers by way of a Crown Copyright Licence Agreement.
	There are currently 140 licence holders, some of which are private companies and others are sole traders (e.g. driving instructors). Income derived from royalty-paying licence holders over the past four years is as follows:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2005-06 452 
			 2006-07 352 
			 2007-08 427 
			 2008-09 392 
		
	
	A list of company royalty-paying licence holders has been placed in the House Library. The amounts paid by individual licence holders cannot be disclosed for reasons of commercial confidentiality.

Driving: Elderly

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has conducted a cost-benefit analysis of testing drivers over the age of 70 years before their licences are renewed; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No cost-benefit analysis of testing drivers over the age of 70 years before their licences are renewed, has been conducted.
	Drivers must already meet specific health requirements when renewing a driving licence at age 70 and are required by law to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency at any time about the onset or worsening of any health condition that may affect safe driving.
	The current arrangements are based on an assessment of the risks that an individual poses to road safety and as such are balanced and proportionate. They do not penalise those persons aged 70 and over who are medically fit to hold a licence.

Garage and Petrol Stations

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the number of motor repairs made by  (a) dealerships and  (b) independent garages in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport does not hold this information.

M6: Accidents

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents between junctions 14 and 16 of the M6 were reported in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: The following table gives details of the number of accidents on the M6 between Junctions 14 and 16 from 2003 to 2007. The accidents are broken down by severity.
	Over the whole period there were 247 accidents on this stretch of road, nine fatal, 15 serious, and 223 slight.
	These are the most recent validated statistics available. Data collected since 2007 are currently undergoing validation.
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  Total 
			 Fatal 1 1 1 4 2 9 
			 Serious 2 5 0 2 6 15 
			 Slight 40 67 45 43 28 223 
			 Total 43 73 46 49 36 247

Ports: Inspections

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Vehicle and Operator Services Agency checks have been undertaken at the ports of  (a) Holyhead,  (b) Pembroke,  (c) Fishguard,  (d) Liverpool,  (e) Heysham and  (f) Stranraer since the checking system came into operation; what the frequency of checks is at each of those ports; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A list of checks undertaken at the ports of  (a) Holyhead,  (b) Pembroke,  (c) Fishguard,  (d) Liverpool,  (e) Heysham and  (f) Stranraer since the checking system came into operation and the frequency of checks is at each of those ports has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Railway Stations: Access

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans  (a) his Department and  (b) Network Rail has to provide step-free access at each of the former Silverlink rail stations which also have Bakerloo Line platforms.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport and Network Rail currently have no plans to provide step-free access to the former Silverlink overground platforms at these stations, which comprise Harrow and Wealdstone, Willesden Junction, and Queens Park. Decisions regarding the provision of step-free access to London Underground services at these stations are the responsibility of Transport for London, contact details for which can be found at
	http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

Railway Stations: Access

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many railway stations do not have step-free access.

Paul Clark: Detailed information about station facilities is held and maintained by train operators and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and not by the Department for Transport. However, studies for the Strategic Rail Authority in 2005 showed that approximately 50 per cent. of stations provided step-free access routes to platforms, covering 57 per cent of journeys.
	In March 2006 the Railways for All Strategy was launched, which includes £370 million of Access for All funding for station improvements over a 10 year period, in addition to access improvements delivered as part of rail franchises and major investment projects. We anticipate that over 80 per cent. of journeys will start or end at a step-free station by 2015.

Railways: Finance

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how much has been spent on capital funding for  (a) railway infrastructure and  (b) rail rolling stock from (i) the public purse and (ii) the private sector in each year since 1979;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the financial subsidy to the running cost of railways in the UK paid from the public purse in each year since 1979.

Paul Clark: The information is not available in the form requested. However, full details of historic Government expenditure on the railway is published in National Rail Trends by the Office of Rail Regulation. Copies are available in the Library of the House and online at
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk

Railways: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has received in the last five years on rail services in Torbay from  (a) Torbay local authority and  (b) the South West Regional Development Agency.

Paul Clark: Having searched the Department for Transport's records, one representation was found from Torbay council. This representation was an objection raised during the franchise replacement consultation in 2006, prior to the re-letting of the franchise. The objection related to the proposal therein that the London Waterloo-Torbay service would terminate at Exeter.
	A representation was found from the South West Regional Development Agency, also in response to this consultation, offering a number of comments, including an expression of concern at Paignton and Plymouth proposals and their possible impact upon both productivity improvements and economic and housing growth.

Rescue Services

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Search and Rescue Strategic Committee last met; and whether it discussed the level of search and rescue cover provided for the South Hams coastline.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The United Kingdom Search and Rescue Strategic Committee last met on 22 October 2008 but did not discuss the level of search and rescue cover provided for the South Hams coastline.

Rescue Services

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations have participated in his Department's consultation exercise on the search and rescue requirements of the southern part of the South Hams coastline.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has not yet started a consultation exercise on the maritime search and rescue provision in the southern part of the south-west peninsula.

Road Traffic: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of congestion levels in the Torbay local authority area based on  (a) reports from the Government Office South West and  (b) the mid-term progress review of the local transport plan; and what support his Department is providing to Torbay local authority to (i) increase bus usage and (ii) reduce traffic congestion.

Paul Clark: I refer to my answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 196W, regarding the progress review of Torbay council's local transport plan conducted with the Government Office for the South West. The progress review covers congestion levels in the area.
	The Department for Transport is providing the following financial support to Torbay council to help improve their local transport infrastructure and public transport services. This funding will help the authority increase bus patronage and reduce traffic congestion.
	
		
			  Financial year 2008-09—DfT funding to Torbay council 
			  Funding stream  Purpose  £000 
			 Integrated Transport (IT) Block Capital grant to support small transport projects. 1,707 
			 Highways maintenance Capital grant for road maintenance—e.g. resurfacing, repairs 964 
			 Rural Bus Subsidy Grant(1) Revenue grant allocation to support rural bus services 17 
			 Concessionary travel Support for concessionary fares 982 
			 Total  3,670 
			 (1) Originally paid by DfT, but since 2008-09 has been paid as an area based grant by DCLG. 
		
	
	This funding is not ring-fenced and Torbay council has discretion to spend allocations in line with their priorities. Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government's formula grant.
	The Department is also supporting Torbay council in the following ways:
	£4.1 million will be provided in 2009-10 for improvements to the Tweenaway Cross junction;
	assessing a Major Scheme Business Case on funding for the proposed A380 South Devon Link Road, a scheme promoted jointly by Devon and Torbay councils;
	providing Torbay council with vehicle journey time data to inform their congestion policies;
	£589,000 of funding over a number of years through the 2005 Kickstart bus competition to improve bus patronage and encourage modal shift through the South Devon College and Western corridor scheme.

Roads: Accidents

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road closures due to road traffic accidents there were in each local authority area in the South West in each of the last five years; and for how long the road or roads affected were closed in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information held by the Highways Agency relating to road closures due to road traffic accidents, is not in the form requested. The Highways Agency and the Department for Transport do not keep data relating to road closures due to road traffic accidents on local roads, and therefore this information will need to be obtained from the local highway authorities.
	The first table provides information about closures by police force area, for the motorway network in the South West over a five year period. The second table lists information by route for the All Purpose Trunk Road network in the South West, also over a five year period.
	From the data held, the duration of closures ranged from five minutes to 23 hours 58 minutes.
	The information available is for road traffic accidents where the police have requested Highways Agency involvement. No data are held for those occurrences where the police have dealt with an accident alone. Also, the data available for All Purpose Trunk Roads west of Exeter are from autumn 2006 onwards, and from July 2005 for other Highways Agency roads in the south west network.
	
		
			  Mo torways by  police force  area from July 2005 o nwards 
			   Number of road closures on motorways per year 
			  Police Force Area  July 2005 onwards  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Avon and Somerset 12 16 40 32 10 
			 Wiltshire 0 4 8 10 2 
			 Gloucester 5 5 16 9 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1 2 4 4 1 
		
	
	
		
			  All  purpose trunk roads 
			   Number of road closures per year 
			  Trunk Road Number  July to December 2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 A30/A35 DBFO 0 10 11 11 5 
			 A30 Non DBFO (1)— 10 24 26 11 
			 A38 (1)— 2 21 25 16 
			 A417/A419 DBFO 1 2 4 2 1 
			 A36 4 11 19 4 6 
			 A303 5 16 18 13 4 
			 A30 east of Honiton 1 0 0 1 0 
			 A4 3 0 1 0 0 
			 A40 5 4 2 3 2 
			 A46 4 2 8 3 1 
			 (1) Not known

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what procedures govern the retention by local authorities of unspent funds designated for highway and byway maintenance for use on highway and byway projects in subsequent financial years.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport provides funding to local authorities for highway maintenance by specific grant, contributions to Area Based Grant and through Supported Capital Expenditure Revenue (SCERs). Local authorities receive support for the borrowing costs of SCERs through formula grant. This is an unhypothecated block grant, not designated for any particular service, and can be used to fund highway maintenance projects or byways, for which the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has policy responsibility. Local authorities also receive unhypothecated income through council tax and other sources such as fees and charges.
	The amount of money allocated to highways and byways maintenance is for individual local authorities to decide. Where an authority has not fully claimed a specific grant allocation by the year end, they may apply to the Department for the remaining funding to be transferred to a later year. For other funding there are no central restrictions which govern the retention of funds held if authorities do not spend any budget which they set.

Roads: Safety

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of levels of road safety in the Torbay local authority area based on  (a) reports from the Government office south-west and  (b) the mid-term progress review of the local transport plan; and what assistance his Department is providing to Torbay local authority to reduce road casualties in the area.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 196W, regarding the progress review of Torbay council's local transport plan conducted with the Government office for the south-west. The progress review covers road safety.
	The Department for Transport is providing the following financial support to Torbay council to help them improve their local transport infrastructure and public transport services. This funding will help the authority develop road safety schemes and thereby reduce road casualties.
	
		
			  Financial year 2008-09—DFT funding to Torbay council 
			  Funding stream  Purpose  £000 
			 Integrated Transport (IT) Block Capital grant to support small transport projects. 1,707 
			 Road safety—capital Capital support for road safety 28 
			 Road safety—revenue Revenue support for road safety. 127 
			 Total  1,862 
		
	
	This funding is not ring-fenced and Torbay council has discretion to spend allocations in line with their priorities. Revenue expenditure on transport is generally supported through the Department for Communities and Local Government's formula grant.
	The Department also contributes to the sharing of information and good practice via a group of local authority officers in the south-west region. Nationally it is sponsoring a number of demonstration and partnership projects with other local authorities to assist local authorities as a whole in their continued work to reduce road casualties.

Schools: Transport

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of children travelling to school by car in each local authority area in the South West in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Clark: Data collected by schools in the South West area via the School Census in January 2008 showed the following percentage of children travelled to school by car in each local authority area:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			  Local authority  Travelling by car  Car sharing  Total trips by car( 1) 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 28.9 2.1 31.0 
			 Bournemouth 39.0 1.6 40.6 
			 Bristol City 25.5 3.9 29.4 
			 Cornwall 36.3 2.0 38.2 
			 Devon 26.2 2.5 28.8 
			 Dorset 32.3 3.1 35.4 
			 Gloucestershire 29.3 4.6 33.8 
			 North Somerset 30.5 4.1 34.6 
			 Plymouth 25.8 2.4 28.2 
			 Poole 34.3 3.1 37.4 
			 Somerset 27.2 3.0 30.2 
			 South Gloucestershire 26.7 3.8 30.5 
			 Swindon 24.1 2.6 26.7 
			 Torbay 32.6 2.9 35.5 
			 Wiltshire 28.4 4.0 32.4 
			 (1) Total may not appear to be the sum of the component parts because percentages have been rounded to the nearest decimal place. 
		
	
	The Government want as many children as possible to walk, cycle or use public transport to travel to school, that is why, in 2003, it launched the Travelling to School project setting out how it wants all schools in England to develop a school travel plan in order to reduce car use for journey to school and allow many more children to take regular exercise. By 2010 more than £140 million will have been committed to support the project through local authority school travel advisers and capital grants to help schools implement their travel plans.

Speed Limits

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the likely effect on the number of road deaths and injuries of raising the speed limit for light goods vehicles on single carriageway A roads by 10 miles per hour.

Jim Fitzpatrick: No such estimate has been made. We have no plans to raise the national speed limits for light goods vehicles.

Transport: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on  (a) rail,  (b) road and  (c) bicycle transport in Coventry.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport received advice in February 2009 from the west midlands region on its transport priorities in the period up to 2018-19 as part of its regional funding advice to Government. This includes proposals for investment in Coventry through schemes such as a new public transport interchange at Coventry railway station (Connecting Coventry), a Bus Rapid Transit System (SPRINT) and a Nuneaton to Coventry rail line upgrade (NUCKLE). Furthermore, the Highways Agency has prioritised a scheme within the regional funding advice to improve the A45/A46 at Tollbar End, in Coventry.
	We expect to be in a position to respond to this advice by the summer.
	Also, departmental officials are due to meet with representatives from Coventry city council on their proposed NUCKLE rail upgrade scheme later this month.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Leader of the House how many  (a) special advisers and  (b) officials accompanied her to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009.

Chris Bryant: One official accompanied my right hon. and learned Friend to Glasgow for the Cabinet meeting on 16 April 2009.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Leader of the House what car journeys she took in attending the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Chris Bryant: A Government car was used by my right hon. and learned Friend to travel to and from the airport in both London and Glasgow.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Leader of the House how much expenditure was incurred by her Office in respect of the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Chris Bryant: The total expenditure incurred by the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons in respect of the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009 was £1,115.97.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Leader of the House what expenditure on  (a) travel,  (b) accommodation and  (c) food (i) she and (ii) officials in her Office incurred in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Chris Bryant: The total cost of travel incurred by my right hon. and learned Friend and one official in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009 was £1,115.97. My right hon. Friend and the accompanying official incurred no expenditure on accommodation and food.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what records his Department holds on anti-Semitism in pre-war Nazi Germany which remain closed to the public; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office do not hold any records on anti-Semitism in Germany before World War II. We have released all such documents to the Public Records Office.

Burma: USA

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the US Administration on its review of US policy on Burma.

Bill Rammell: I discussed Burma with US Administration officials and members of Congress when I visited Washington from 3-5 May 2009. We remain in close contact with our US colleagues about the situation in Burma at all levels. We are working with them to ensure that collective international pressure is brought onto the regime to engage with the UN Good Offices mission and to instigate genuine political reforms. We continue to share concerns for the prospects of inclusive elections in 2010 and the grave humanitarian situation. The US Administration have not as yet concluded the work that is under way.

China: Asylum

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had recent discussions with his Chinese counterpart on the recent deportation from China of refugees from North Korea.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 11 May 2009
	We continue to urge China to observe its obligations under the 1951 convention on the status of refugees and to allow the UN High Commissioner for Refugees access to the China/Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) border region. This subject was raised with the Chinese at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in January 2009. We urged China not to return those people crossing the border from DPRK to China. China continues to maintain the position that cases are dealt with in line with domestic and international law.

China: Human Rights

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct diplomats from the UK mission in Beijing to visit in prison in China those Tibetans sentenced to death for alleged arson attacks in Lhasa in March 2008.

Bill Rammell: We do not intend to make a request to visit these prisoners, however we do remain concerned about their convictions. The UK is opposed to the death penalty in principle, and as a consequence, working closely with our EU counterparts, we are urging the Chinese authorities not to carry out the sentences imposed on those convicted.

China: Human Rights

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of China during the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue in mid-May on the recent death sentencing of six Tibetans for alleged arson attacks in Lhasa in March 2008.

Bill Rammell: The cases of the Tibetans facing the death penalty will be raised at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue.

Council of Europe

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what directions he gave to the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe on voting in the meeting of Ministers' Deputies on the transmission to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe of the list of candidates for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 May 2009
	In line with our objectives on international institutional reform we have consistently supported a robust, fair and open selection process for the next Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The UK Permanent Representative was therefore instructed to support the shortlisting of candidates on the basis of a rigorous assessment against the agreed list of criteria and competences for the post.

Council of Europe

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe on the short-listing of candidates for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe since the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the electoral process for the Secretary General adopted on 29 April 2009; what the UK's position at the meeting of the Committee of Ministers in Madrid on 12 May 2009 will be; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 May 2009
	We have considered carefully Resolution 1665 (2009) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted on 29 April 2009. The UK stands by the draft resolution agreed by Ministers' Deputies on 23 April 2009 which will be formally adopted at the ministerial meeting in Madrid on 12 May 2009 nominating two of the four proposed candidates to PACE for election of the next Secretary General.

Council of Europe

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the right hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull East (Mr. Prescott) in his capacity as leader of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, before directing the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe on the position to be taken in the meeting of Ministers' Deputies on the transmission to the Parliamentary Assembly of the list of candidates for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 May 2009
	A planned consultation on this issue between the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers took place in Strasbourg on 29 April 2009. My right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull, East (Mr. Prescott) and the UK Permanent Representative participated actively.

Council of Europe

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he instructed the UK Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe to vote for a particular candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the Council of Europe.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 May 2009
	Following a rigorous assessment of the candidates against the agreed list of criteria and competences the UK Permanent Representation was instructed on how to vote on each of the four proposed candidates.

EU Battlegroups

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on implementation of the EU Atalanta mission; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Operation Atalanta is achieving highly positive results in providing protection to World Food Programme and other vulnerable shipping. It has delivered a significant reduction in the number of successful attacks in the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden through close co-operation with the shipping industry and close co-ordination with other military operations in the region. While successful pirate attacks continue, these are either overwhelmingly against shipping which is not following the EU's operations advice and agreed best practice, or is in the Somali Basin further south where shipping is much more at risk given the size of the area for the military operations to cover: the military operations are rightly concentrated further north, given the much greater importance of the Gulf of Aden trade artery.

EU Battlegroups

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on UK involvement in the EU Atalanta mission.

Caroline Flint: The estimated common cost of the EU operation is €8.3 million, 17 per cent. of which is met by the UK. This amounts to £1.26 million. Other costs which include running costs of ships and aircraft are met by the contributing countries nationally.

European External Action Service

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to second any staff of his Department to the proposed European external action service.

Caroline Flint: Were the Lisbon Treaty to enter into force, and EU member states to take a decision to establish the European external action service, then we would plan to second Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff to it.

European External Action Service

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on the proposed European external action service.

Caroline Flint: I have had no recent discussions with my EU counterparts about the proposed European external action service (EEAS). This service could only be established were the Lisbon treaty to come into force and after a unanimous decision by EU member states to do so.

European Union

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates he had  (a) discussions and  (b) meetings with the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus on the situation in the region in the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 12 May 2009
	There has been no ministerial contact with the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus (EUSR) in the last 12 months. However, senior officials have continued to meet the EUSR on a regular basis.

European Union

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates he had  (a) discussions and  (b) meetings with the European Union Special Representative for the Middle East peace process on the status of the process in the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 12 May 2009
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the EU Special Representative for the Middle East peace process have shared their views on a number of occasions in the last 12 months. This includes at General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) and Gymnich meetings.

India: Religious Freedom

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will encourage the Indian Government to implement the recommendations of UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in her report of her 2008 mission to India.

Bill Rammell: The UK continues to work through the EU on a number of human rights issues as part of a continuing EU-India Human Rights Dialogue. The recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief were identified by EU colleagues as a subject for discussion at the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue meeting in February 2009. It was agreed by both sides that there would be continued exchanges about discrimination, including on religious grounds. The recommendations will be a useful point of reference for future engagement with India on human rights issues.

India: Religious Freedom

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on levels of religiously-motivated violence in India in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have received reports of communal violence in Orissa and Karnataka where Hindu extremists waged a campaign of violence against Christians in August and September 2008. At about the same time in Assam, violent clashes occurred between Bodo tribes and Muslims; in Maharastra, between Hindus and Muslims and in Andra Pradesh, between Hindus and Muslims.
	We have raised the issue of freedom of religion with the Indian authorities on several occasions, most recently at the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue which took place on 27 February 2009 in New Delhi.

Mauritania: Elections

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the  (a) EU and  (b) UK decided not to send observers to the presidential elections in Mauritania.

Bill Rammell: The EU was invited by the Mauritanian junta to send an Election Observation Mission (EOM) to monitor the proposed 6 June 2009 elections in Mauritania. The EU agreed to suspend non-humanitarian assistance to Mauritania under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement on 2 April 2009 because of insufficient progress towards the restoration of democratic rule, following the 6 August 2008 coup. The request by the Mauritanian coup leaders for an EU EOM was declined on the grounds that the elections are currently envisaged not to be representative, free or fair. There are a number of political parties boycotting the elections on this basis.
	The UK has not been invited to send any observers to the presidential elections.

Mikhail Khodorkovsky

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) his Russian counterpart and  (b) HM Ambassador in Moscow on the imprisonment of Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

Caroline Flint: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not specifically raised Mikhail Khodorkovsky's situation in his recent conversations with Foreign Minister Lavrov. However, we have made clear our concerns about the treatment of Mr. Khodorkovsky, and others who have been arrested or prosecuted in the Yukos affair, both bilaterally and through the EU. The issue was raised bilaterally at the UK-Russia human rights consultations in January 2009 in Moscow. Our concerns relate to due process and fair treatment in the Yukos cases, and they include the arbitrary application of the rule of law, access to lawyers and medical care, conditions of detention and the alleged harassment of defence teams and witnesses.
	Our embassy in Moscow is watching current developments in Mr. Khodorkovsky's case closely, and is participating in trial monitoring with EU partners and the US. We will continue to follow the progress of Mr. Khodorkovsky's case.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions  (a) he and  (b) his officials have had with their counterparts in the (i) European Union and (ii) UN Security Council on efforts to secure the release of kidnapped Israeli soldier Corporal Shalit.

Bill Rammell: We along with the EU have made our position clear ever since the kidnapping of Gilad Shalit, and we continue to call for his immediate, unconditional, and safe release. The EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, made this clear in his press statement on the Gaza crisis in January 2009, and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last reiterated this message during his intervention at the UN Security Council on 11 May 2009.

Middle East: Armed Conflict

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Israeli government on the kidnapped Israeli soldier, Corporal Shalit.

Bill Rammell: The UK continues to call for the immediate, unconditional, and safe release of Gilad Shalit, in public and in private, including in our discussions with the Israeli Government. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary reiterated this most recently in his statement to the UN Security Council on 11 May 2009.

Papua: Human Rights

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Indonesian authorities on allegations of human rights abuses in West Papua.

Bill Rammell: I raised UK concerns with the situation in Papua and West Papua provinces in discussions with the Indonesian Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, on 10 February 2009. I stressed that greater transparency was an important element to building trust and ensuring greater peace and prosperity for the region. Embassy officials continue to monitor the situation closely and to discuss the human rights situation with Indonesian Government officials—most recently on 6 May 2009—as well as civil society and community representatives from the Papuan provinces.

Papua: International Red Cross

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the government of Indonesia on its recent decision to expel the International Committee of the Red Cross from West Papua.

Bill Rammell: We have sought clarification of the reports regarding the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and their presence in West Papua from the Government of Indonesia. Our embassy have been told that the ICRC field office in Papua has been closed and that the status agreements governing the ICRC's activities in Indonesia need to be renegotiated. We hope that this can be concluded speedily. The government of Indonesia told us that ICRC officials may still visit Papua. Our embassy are also in touch with ICRC officials in Indonesia and will continue to monitor the situation closely. We are meeting with the Indonesian ambassador in London to register our concerns. I discussed access to Papua and West Papua provinces with Indonesia's Foreign Minister, Hassan Wirajuda, most recently on 10 February 2009 in Jakarta.

Rizana Nafeek

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 14 January 2008,  Official Report, column 1855W, on Rizana Nafeek, if he will direct HM Ambassador to Saudi Arabia to report on Rizana Nafeek; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Ms Nafeek is currently held in a prison north, of Riyadh. The appeal against her conviction is outstanding. The Sri Lankan embassy in Riyadh have regular consular access. The Saudi Human Rights Commission are aware of Ms Nafeek's case. The Government oppose the death penalty in all cases. We are particularly opposed to the execution of people who are convicted of crimes committed when they were minors. In February 2009 the UK recommended that Saudi Arabia set an age of legal majority at 18 during the Universal Periodic Review of Saudi Arabia in Geneva. This recommendation was repeated by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the Saudi Foreign Minister during his visit to Riyadh in April 2009.

Russia: Nuclear Power Stations

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of proposals by the Russian Government to build and operate nuclear power stations in Arctic waters.

Caroline Flint: We have received no formal approach by the Russian Government about proposals to build and operate nuclear power stations in Arctic Waters.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of Sri Lanka on allegations of human rights abuses in the conflict in that country.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Sri Lanka on 29 April 2009. Most recently he spoke to Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Bogllogama on 10 May 2009 to express our concerns about the situation in Sri Lanka.
	The Foreign Secretary has consistently pressed the Sri Lankan Government to abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law and to take all possible steps to safeguard civilian lives, including allowing UN and international aid agencies to deliver food, water and medicine into the conflict zone and to allow civilians allowed to move to safety. It is vital that the conditions for those civilians in the IDP camps meet international standards.
	We have made clear to the Sri Lankan Government the need to guarantee press freedoms. Given the restrictions placed on the media and non-governmental organisations, it has been difficult to verify reports and accusations by both sides of the conflict. The Foreign Secretary has also expressed the need for transparency.

Tibet: Human Rights

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Government of China on human rights in Tibet.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 7 May 2009
	We continue to have concerns about the human rights of Tibetans both in Tibet and the surrounding regions. Most recently my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised our concerns on the situation in Tibet with both Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, urging the Chinese authorities to resume their discussions with the Dalai Lama's envoys without delay.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also raised Tibet with Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the UK-China Summit in February 2009.
	I made the same points to the Chinese ambassador when we met on 25 March 2009. The UK also raised concerns about human rights of Tibetans during China's appearance before the Universal Periodic Review in Geneva on 9 February 2009.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Sequestration

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of progress in the development of the technology to enable the burial of carbon captured from coal-fired power stations under the North Sea; and what his most recent estimate is of the cost of such operations.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made an oral statement to the House on proposals for carbon, capture and storage (CCS) policy on 23 April 2009,  Official Report, column 345. These proposals build on previous policy statements and are underpinned by a number of studies and reports, including assessments of development status of CCS:
	Review on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS), 2003:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file21887.pdf
	Industrial Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Carbon Dioxide Storage Potential in the UK, 2006:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file35684.pdf
	IEA Energy Technologies Perspectives:
	http://www.iea.org/Textbase/techno/etp/index.asp
	European Technology Platform for Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Plans - CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) Matrix of Technologies
	Most recently, DECC's Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies (ACCAT) has set out its views in its advisory document on 'Accelerating the Deployment of Carbon Abatement Technologies with special focus on Carbon Capture and Storage, 2009':
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file50028.pdf
	These reports all indicate that CCS has reached the stage of development at which it needs to be demonstrated at full-scale. It is for this reason that the Government have decided to support up to four such demonstration projects in the UK.
	The CAT strategy (2005) compared estimates of the cost of carbon abated with CCS and alternative low carbon power generation technologies. This showed a wide possible range because the cost of CCS is sensitive to the cost of building CCS, its operational performance and the relative cost of coal compared to other fuels. It would not be fruitful to produce new estimates until these uncertainties have been reduced by full-scale CCS demonstration projects.

Departmental ICT

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the level of carbon dioxide emissions from ICT systems operated by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department currently uses IT systems provided by the Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs under IT services contracts with Fujitsu and IBM respectively. No separate estimate has been made for the levels of carbon dioxide specific to my Department. However, my Department is engaging with the Carbon Trust to understand the emissions that will be generated by the single IT system my Department plans on adopting from the summer of this year.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), of 26 March 2009,  Official Report, column 708W, on the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, what estimate he has made of the amount of funding requested through those eligible grant applications for solar photovoltaic technology under the Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2 which have been put on hold.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 27 April 2009
	The Low Carbon Buildings Programme has seen significant levels of applications for solar PV technology. Since December 2008, £9 million has been reallocated within the programme to support solar PV bringing the total grant commitment to £26.5 million.
	Following the Budget announcement, we have allocated immediately an additional £5 million for solar PV Phase 2 to be able to deal with the majority of projects which were put on hold.

Nuclear Power: Safety

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what arrangements have been put in place for nuclear safety policy and its implementation at nuclear installations following the disbanding of the Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee.

Mike O'Brien: There has been no change to the arrangements for regulating nuclear safety at nuclear installations. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) continues to regulate nuclear installations to the highest standards of safety and to provide expert advice on these matters to Government.
	The Nuclear Safety Advisory Committee was one of several HSE advisory committees. It reached the end of its latest term of office in October 2008. The HSE Board decided to defer any decisions on reconstituting the Committee pending the outcome of various reviews. This included taking account of the recommendations, published in January 2009, of Dr. Tim Stone's review of nuclear regulatory arrangements.
	One of Dr. Stone's recommendations accepted by the Government was to restructure the HSE's Nuclear Directorate through legislation. The future make up of any advisory body needs to follow decisions on these arrangements. Meanwhile, in addition to its own experts, the HSE is able to call on many external sources of advice on nuclear safety.

Sellafield: Safety

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what investigation his Department has undertaken of the coolant incident that occurred at the high-activity liquid radioactive waste storage tanks at Sellafield on 1-2 April; when he was first informed of the incident; and when notification of the incident was made to  (a) Euratom safety authorities and  (b) the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Mike O'Brien: This incident was notified to the Health and Safety Executive, the independent nuclear safety regulator, on 1 April and to officials in my Department on 2 April. The Executive is currently conducting a full and formal investigation to establish the facts of the incident, which will be used to inform the need for regulatory enforcement action. The incident was not notified to Euratom or to the International Atomic Energy Agency as there is no requirement to do so for incidents of this kind.

Wind Power

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what percentage of the electricity consumed in England and Wales was generated by wind farms in 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The latest available data for electricity consumption and wind generation in England and Wales are for 2007. Data for 2008 will be available in September 2009. As shown in the following table, wind generation accounted for 0.7 per cent. of electricity consumption in England and Wales in 2007.
	
		
			   Electricity consumption (GWh)  Wind generation (GWh)  Wind generation as a percentage of electricity consumption 
			 England 289,790 1,408.4 0.5 
			 Wales 19,421 864.0 4.5 
			 England and Wales 309,211 2,272.4 0.7

HEALTH

Care Homes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent from the public purse on the  (a) operation and  (b) refurbishment of care homes in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: The information is not collected centrally in the format requested. No estimate has been made.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people diagnosed with schizophrenia are being held in detention in secure hospitals  (a) nationally and  (b) in Leicester;
	(2)  how many people were diagnosed with schizophrenia  (a) nationally and  (b) in Leicester in each of the last three years;
	(3)  how many people are being held in detention in secure hospitals for mental health reasons  (a) nationally and  (b) in Leicester.

Phil Hope: Information on the number of people held in secure hospitals due to a diagnosis of schizophrenia, or for other mental health reasons is not collected centrally.
	Information is collected on the average daily number of psychiatric beds in national health service units in England in 2007-08 within high, medium and some low secure units and of the average daily occupancy level and is shown in the table.
	Secure services in Leicester are provided by Leicestershire Partnerships NHS Trust. Information is also available on the number of secure service beds within Leicestershire Partnerships NHS Trust, but not occupancy levels, and this is also shown in the table. These figures show only NHS beds and not those commissioned by the NHS from independent sector providers.
	
		
			  2007-08:  Average daily number of mental health secure unit beds in NHS units in England; national average daily occupancy levels in secure unit beds; and average daily number of mental health secure unit beds in NHS units in Leicestershire Partnerships NHS Trust: data on average daily occupancy levels in secure unit beds is not collected at trust level 
			   Number 
			 Average daily number of Secure Unit beds in England 3,159 
			 Average daily Secure Unit beds occupancy in England 2,885 
			 Average daily number of Secure Unit beds in Leicestershire Partnerships NHS Trust 6 
			 Average daily Secure Unit beds occupancy in Leicestershire Partnerships NHS Trust n/a 
			 n/a = Not available.  Source: Department of Health Dataset KH03

Departmental Complaints

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

Ben Bradshaw: Individuals who wish to make a complaint about the Department or its members of staff may contact the Department in any form they wish. However all complaints are treated the same way, no matter how they are received.
	Should an individual wish to make a formal complaint, he or she may do so to the Department's Customer Service Centre. Each complaint is investigated thoroughly, and if upheld, recommendations are made internally to ensure that future service is improved. Wherever possible, the Department aims to respond to complainants within 20 working days.
	Details of how to make a complaint to the Department can be found on the Department's website.
	If a complainant is unhappy with the Department's response they may ask their Member of Parliament to request that the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman investigates the complaint and the way it was handled. The Ombudsman carries out independent investigations into complaints about Government Departments.

Departmental Pay

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much members of his departmental board claimed in expenses in each financial year between 2004-05 and 2007-08.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is committed to being open about its use of expenses. Recent answers to parliamentary questions and freedom of information requests have not only covered the expenses directly claimed but also expenses covered by centrally managed contracts, for example train and hotel bookings. These answers have included expenses data at an aggregate level or for a handful of individuals based on recent data. To ensure consistency we would need to approach several suppliers, some who no longer hold the contracts to provide the data and have no obligation to provide the information.
	There is no statutory requirement to collect and report on this data in the format requested and to provide an answer to this question would require manual interrogation of a finance system, which was replaced in July 2008 by a new departmental accounting system. Since 2004-05, there have been 33 members of the board. Therefore, the Department cannot provide an answer as to do so would be at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the NHS capital budget for 2009-10 has been reduced by £100 million from the plans set out in the 2008 pre-Budget report.

Ben Bradshaw: The NHS capital budget in 2009-10 is unchanged between pre-Budget report 2008 (£5.4 billion, Table B18, page 214), and Budget 2009 (£5.4 billion, Table C11, page 241).

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to Table 6.1 of the Budget Report 2009, 
	(1)  how much each organisation for which his Department has responsibility will contribute to the £10.5 billion in savings proposed in relation to the new 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review target;
	(2)  how his Department plans to release  (a) £500 million through reductions in average length of stay in hospitals and  (b) £500 million through improved capability and planning capacity in commissioning; whether primary care trust allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are to remain unchanged; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what  (a) cashable and  (b) non-cashable savings his Department plans to make to meet the £10.5 billion savings proposed over the period covered by the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review; and in which year each saving is to be made.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not set savings targets for individual national health service organisations. All organisations will be expected to contribute to the savings and, where appropriate, this is reflected when setting allocations from the Department to NHS and other organisations and when setting the payment by results tariff prices that NHS providers receive for providing NHS services.
	Table 6.1 in the Budget report 2009 includes examples of how the Department intends to meet its new savings target of £10.5 billion per year by 2010-11. Further specific details are set out publicly in the Department's Value for Money Delivery Agreement and the Government's 2009 Value for Money Update.
	There is scope for significant savings through reductions in average length of stay through movement towards the performance of the best organisations, including bearing down on clinical intervention thresholds that appear to be inappropriate when compared to clinical best practice.
	The World Class Commissioning Programme has supported primary care trusts in focusing their energy towards commissioning for long-term health gain for their local communities. We will build on this by introducing a new efficiency competency into the assurance framework in 2009-10. This will ensure that commissioners are equipped with the capability and planning capacity to drive transformations in both the quality of care and the efficiency of services.
	HM Treasury guidance requires that all value for money savings declared under the 2007 comprehensive spending review (CSR) programme are cash-releasing. There are no interim targets but the Department report publicly on progress towards the 2010-11 target in its annual autumn performance report and departmental report. The Department's approach to delivering savings in the 2007 CSR period is set out in its Value for Money Delivery Agreement and the Government's 2009 Value for Money Update.
	Primary care trust allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11, announced in December 2008, are unchanged.

Departmental Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: Spending on information technology (IT) training by the Department over the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 427,540 
			 2005-06 435,712 
			 2006-07 442,260 
			 2007-08 456,300 
			 2008-09 461,110 
		
	
	The information is based on the provision of IT training and guidance delivered by the in-house training team. It does not include information about courses run and paid for locally within Departmental directorates nor for training delivered during the implementation of new projects, neither of which is held centrally, and would incur disproportionate costs to establish.

Health Services: Crosby

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department provided for  (a) primary care and  (b) other health services in Crosby constituency in each of the last five years; and what infrastructural improvements have been made to healthcare facilities in the constituency in that time.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the Crosby constituency is served by the Sefton Primary Care Trust (PCT). The following table shows the revenue allocations for Sefton PCT for each of the last five years.
	
		
			   Sefton PCT revenue allocations  (£ million) 
			 2004-05 303.5 
			 2005-06 330.5 
			 2006-07 389.7 
			 2007-08 424.4 
			 2008-09 447.6 
			 2009-10 479.2 
			  Note: Sefton PCT was formed on 1 October 2006 following the merger of South Sefton and Southport and Formby PCTs. Allocations in 2004-05 to 2007-08 were made to the former 303 PCTs. The table shows estimates for the current configuration of 152 PCTs. The scope of services covered by allocations has increased over time. In particular, before 2006-07 most primary medical services funding was not included in PCT allocations. 
		
	
	There is currently one general practitioner (GP)-led health centre open in Sefton PCT, as well as two additional GP practices commissioned as part of the Equitable Access to Primary Care initiative. These services opened to patients in April 2009.
	It is the responsibility of PCTs to plan, develop and improve health services according to the needs of their local populations. The Department does not collect information on what infrastructural improvements have been made to health care facilities by particular PCTs. This information should be obtained from the PCT directly.

Hospitals: Mobile Telephones

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 20 hospitals were asked to provide copies of their policies governing the use of mobile telephones in hospitals as part of the consultation on the liberalisation of mobile telephone use.

Ben Bradshaw: Information was collected on mobile phone usage policies from national health service trusts This information helped inform the Department's publication—Using mobile phones in NHS hospitals January 2009.
	The information requested is as follows.
	Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Trust;
	Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust;
	East Sussex hospitals NHS Trust;
	Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
	Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;
	Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland Mental Health NHS Trust;
	Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust;
	North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust;
	Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust;
	Poole Hospital NHS Trust;
	Portsmouth City NHS Teaching Primary Care Trust;
	Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust;
	South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust;
	Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;
	South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust;
	The Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust;
	University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; and
	West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust.

Hospitals: Mobile Telephones

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations  (a) were invited to participate in and  (b) responded to the consultation on liberalisation of mobile telephone use in hospitals.

Ben Bradshaw: A wide range of organisations was consulted to inform the Department's new mobile phone usage guidance. This was done in order to address the legal, safety, privacy and dignity issues arising from mobile phone use in hospitals. Each national health service trust has responsibility for formulating its own mobile phone usage policy, after conducting a full risk assessment, as stated in the Department's publication—Using mobile phones in NHS hospitals January 2009.
	The information requested is as follows.
	The Department of Health's Legal Services;
	National Health Service Trusts;
	Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency;
	National Patient Safety Agency;
	Chief Nursing Office;
	European Healthcare Organisations; and
	Hospital Bedside Television and Telephones providers.

Industrial Health and Safety

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has a health and safety policy, which recognises its responsibilities, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. We also employ a health and safety policy manager and secure specialist advice through our facilities management supplier, which enables us to ensure compliance.
	We cannot separately identify those costs associated solely with compliance in these roles nor for individual maintenance or improvement work as legislative compliance is an integral requirement.
	We can separately identify the costs incurred in undertaking workstation assessments, fire warden and manual handling training for 2008-09, because we procured these separately, and those costs amounted to £17,598 in 2008-09.

Lincolnshire Teaching Primary Care Trust

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust has made discretionary dispensations in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: This information requested is not held centrally. The Department does not break down primary care trust (PCT) allocations by policies, at either national or local level. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment taking into account both local priorities and the national health service operating framework. This information can be obtained by contacting Lincolnshire Teaching PCT directly.

Mental Health Services: Ex-servicemen

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treatment of veterans with psychological wounding.

Phil Hope: It is not possible to quantify the costs of providing psychological help to veterans because they are not separately identified as such from the rest of the population, nor do they receive treatment in distinct facilities.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidance his Department has issued to Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust on the involvement of  (a) patients and  (b) the public in the preparation of its action plan; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The trust's board is responsible for developing and implementing an action plan to address the issues raised by the Healthcare Commission and subsequently in the reports from Professor Sir George Alberti and Doctor David Colin-Thome. In doing this, the board will work closely with the trust's members and governors, who represent the needs and wishes of their local communities.

NHS: Equality

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has allocated to Pacesetters programmes in each primary care trust for 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department runs the Pacesetters programme in conjunction with six strategic health authorities (SHAs). The programme is designed to improve the equality performance of the national health service through a range of innovative projects based within trusts located within these SHAs. In total 34 trusts are participating in Pacesetters. These projects are being evaluated independently, and good practice and learning will be disseminated widely throughout the NHS. The Department provides funding and other support to the SHAs, and intends to do so in 2009-10. Final levels of funding in the current financial year have yet to be determined. Once the funding is delivered to the SHAs, in large part it is the responsibility of the SHAs to determine the allocations to individual trusts.

Nutrition

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to ensure that the nutrition action plan is effectively communicated to  (a) healthcare and  (b) social care providers.

Phil Hope: The joint 'Nutrition Action Plan' from the Department of Health and Nutrition Summit stakeholders was published on 30 October 2007. A press release was issued giving details of the Plan and the Plan was placed on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_079931
	A copy has been placed in the Library.
	A delivery board of key stakeholders was set up to oversee implementation of the five priority areas identified in the nutrition action plan. The board are due to submit its final report in the summer, setting out the progress made and the issues that still need to be addressed.
	The Department and 28 stakeholder organisations involved in developing the plan have pledged to use their own communications mechanisms, including conferences, events, newsletters and guidance to ensure that the messages and best practice reach the widest possible health and social care audiences.

Nutrition: Children

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for the development of policy on nutrition for children between the ages of one and three years; and what guidance on nutrition for such children the Government provide.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department is responsible for the development of policy on nutrition for children between the ages of one and three years. This is evidence based, drawing on the recommendations from the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA). Also, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) is currently reviewing evidence on the influence of maternal, foetal and child nutrition status, including growth and development in utero and early childhood, on the development of disease later in life. In taking this work forward, the Committee is considering the evidence around maternal, fetal and early life factors, including infant diet and growth. SACN aims to publish their final report later this year.
	As part of its on going work, the Committee's Sub-group on Maternal and Child Nutrition is also planning to update the COMA report Weaning and The Weaning Diet.

Primary Healthcare: Finance

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the primary care provided by the NHS in each of the last five years in England was publicly funded.

Ben Bradshaw: All primary medical care provided by the national health service in the last five years is publicly funded.
	While the major proportion of the cost of NHS primary dental care is publicly funded from resources allocated to the NHS, an element of gross costs is also met from NHS dental charges by patients who are not otherwise eligible for free treatment or remission of charges. The proportion of gross costs met from dental charges is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Percentage proportion of gross cost of NHS primary dental services met from NHS dental charges 
			 2003-04 26.6 
			 2004-05 23.9 
			 2005-06 18.6 
			 2006-07 21.3 
			 2007-08 22.6 
		
	
	All NHS primary eye services are publicly funded from NHS resources; eligibility for NHS sight tests and optical vouchers is restricted to certain population groups, mainly children, adults on low incomes and, in the case of sight tests, those aged 60 and over.

Publications

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its Executive agencies spent on the preparation of articles for submission to healthcare publications and journals in the last six months.

Ben Bradshaw: To identify expenditure on the preparation of all articles for submission to health care publications and journals in the last six months would incur disproportionate costs.
	There have been 19 advertorials (paid-for articles) in health care publications and journals funded in whole or in part by the Department's Communications Directorate in the last six months.
	This corrects the answer given to the hon. Member on 29 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1314W, which stated that 19 advertorials had been funded in whole or in part by the Department's Communications Directorate over a two-year period.
	£19,500 was spent on preparation of these 19 advertorials. Additional associated expenditure was included within agency fees spanning publicity activity for the related publicity campaigns, and to extract this information would incur disproportionate costs.

WALES

Armed Forces Day

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps his Department plans to take to mark Armed Forces Day on 27 June 2009.

Wayne David: The Secretary of State and I strongly support Armed Forces Day and efforts made to recognise the contribution of our service men and women. We will be marking the day by events in Wales.
	In addition to this I have written to the chief executives of all councils in Wales to encourage them to take part in the raising of the special Armed Forces Day flags on 22 June.

Cardiff

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many concerts he has attended at the Millennium Stadium in an official capacity.

Paul Murphy: I have attended one event at the Millennium Stadium, which included live music. I have also attended a number of Wales Rugby Union matches at this iconic Welsh venue.

Coal Mining

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has visited coal mines in Wales on official business in the last 12 months.

Paul Murphy: I am pleased to say that the Big Pit mining museum is in my constituency and I am a regular visitor.

Departmental Buildings

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on building maintenance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: Figures for the maintenance (including electrical and mechanical engineering and plumbing works) of the Wales Office's London and Cardiff offices:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 97,388 
			 2005-06 42,972 
			 2006-07 59,707 
			 2007-08 35,843 
		
	
	Figures prior to 2004-05 are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Complaints

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office complaints procedure and contact details are published on the Wales Office website at:
	http://www.walesoffice.gov.uk/about/wales-office-charter/

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many members of staff in his Department were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Paul Murphy: One person has been dismissed on grounds of inefficiency since 2006. Records prior to this are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Drinking Water

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on bottled water in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: My Department has spent the following amounts on bottled water, mostly on 18.5 ltr bottles for office water coolers:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2004-05 210 
			 2005-06 1,405 
			 2006-07 1,558 
			 2007-08 1,428 
			 2008-09 1,558 
		
	
	The Wales Office stopped buying bottled water in February 2009 when water coolers connected to the mains water supply were introduced.

Departmental Furniture

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on furniture in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2008-09.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office did not buy any furniture in 2008-09 and figures for 2004-05 could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental ICT

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps he has taken to reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions arising from the operation of ICT systems in his Department under the Greening Government ICT Strategy.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has in place a number of steps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, including requiring staff to switch off office equipment at night and a forthcoming programme to reduce the number of printers in the Department and encourage more double-sided printing.

Departmental Manpower

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many members of staff his Department employs who are over  (a) 55 and  (b) 65 years old.

Paul Murphy: Eight staff in the Wales Office are aged between 55 and 64. A small number of staff are aged over 65 years old.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on  (a) conference services and  (b) banqueting services in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: My Department has not spent anything on conference or banqueting services in the last five years.

Departmental Stationery

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on branded stationery and gifts for  (a) internal and  (b) external promotional use in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: My Department spent £83 on Wales Office pens in 2006 to promote the Government of Wales Act 2006.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on the purchase of  (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and  (b) printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: We do not separate out the cost of recycled supplies and print cartridges from our stationery orders and this could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. We do however use 100 per cent. recycled paper for photocopying and printing and all our old print cartridges are recycled.

Departmental Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office spent the following on IT training:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2006-07 900.00 
			 2007-08 264.38 
			 2008-09 2978.69 
		
	
	Figures before 2006-07 are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Training

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on health and safety training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: The health and safety of staff and visitors is taken very seriously in the Wales Office. When they join the Department, all staff undertake training to give them an basic understanding of their responsibilities. This is provided by the Ministry of Justice and does not incur a direct cost to the Wales Office.
	Corporate support staff who are responsible for health and safety issues require a significantly higher degree of knowledge and expertise, and this training is given by specialist organisations at a cost of £1,672 in 2007-08, and £7,631.00 in 2008-09.

Departmental Work Experience

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many work placements his Department offered to  (a) school pupils,  (b) university students and  (c) graduates in each of the last five years.

Paul Murphy: There have been two work placements both undertaken by pupils before they entered university: one in 2008 and one in 2005.

Digital Broadcasting

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps have been taken to ensure that Wales is ready for the digital switchover.

Paul Murphy: Wales is well prepared for the digital switchover which starts in Swansea in August 2009 and completes by the end March 2010. Digital UK, the independent non-profit organisation will issue a 100-day countdown.
	As part of Digital UK's national information campaign, leaflets explaining switchover and the options available for going digital will be sent to every home in Wales, backed up by both national and local radio and television advertising.
	Letters will also be sent to every household for people aged 75 or over, registered blind or partially sighted, on disability benefits or living in a care home for six months or more. Stakeholder meetings and roadshows across Wales have also been held.

Digital Technology

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had on implementation of his digital inclusion responsibilities; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: I have had a range of meetings with stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors concerning digital inclusion. I launched "Delivering Digital Inclusion—An Action Plan for Consultation" in October 2008 and have held two events with stakeholders in Birmingham and London to hear their views. An analysis of the responses to this consultation process has recently been published.
	This analysis indicated strong support for the appointment of an independent Champion for Digital Inclusion, aided by an expert taskforce. I will be making an announcement regarding the champion in the near future.

Economic Situation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the impact of the recession on Wales.

Paul Murphy: I have regular meetings with the First Minister to discuss the global recession and its impact on Wales.
	The fifth All Wales Economic Summit, recently held in Swansea, shows the Welsh Assembly Government's commitment in supporting and guiding Wales through the recession. These summits are an excellent opportunity for businesses to discuss the challenges they are facing and the assistance they require, enabling me to feed in their comments to the National Economic Council, informing and directing what action is required.
	In addition, the UK Government have taken prompt and decisive action to prevent the collapse of the banking system, to support the economy, and to ensure that we get lending going again. This will benefit all of Wales, as it will the UK.

Energy: Cross-border Cooperation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with  (a) Cabinet colleagues and  (b) the Welsh Assembly Government on the security of energy supply across the England/Wales border.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with colleagues in Wales and London on a range of cross border issues.
	The security of energy supply is a key priority of both the Government and the Welsh Assembly Government. The 2007 Energy White Paper set out the UK's commitment to a rich mix supply of energy through a wide range of generating technologies including renewables.

Fossil Fuels

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the development of small and technically-challenging oil and gas fields in Wales.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with the First Minister on a range of issues including energy matters in Wales.
	I understand that no proposals for development of any oil or gas field in Wales have to date been submitted for license with the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Industrial Health and Safety

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has health and safety compliance audits conducted annually by the Ministry of Justice and separately by the trade unions at no cost to my Department. The cost of health and safety works is not recorded separately and can be calculated only at disproportionate cost.

Tourism

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Government on policy to encourage tourism to Wales.

Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government on a range of issues including tourism.
	The Welsh Assembly Government is investing £2.2 million in UK-wide campaign to promote Wales as a top quality tourist destination. Earlier this month £19 million was secured to develop Heritage Tourism in Wales. The project, largely funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and EU Convergence Funds will maximise the economic value of heritage through increasing the volume, length and value of visits to Wales. The project will also ensure that Wales' outstanding heritage is more accessible and enjoyable to visit—both for visitors and people who live in Wales.
	Latest available data show that for 2008 (January to December), Wales' market share of all staying trips in UK by UK residents was 7.2 per cent. (UK Tourism Survey).

HOME DEPARTMENT

Homicide: Children

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under the age of 10 years were murdered in each police force area in 2007-08.

Vernon Coaker: Available information is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Homicides currently recorded( 1)  where victim aged under 10 years, by police force area: England and Wales, 2007-08( 2) 
			  Police force area  Number of victims 
			 Avon and Somerset 2 
			 Bedfordshire 0 
			 British Transport Police 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 
			 Cheshire 1 
			 Cleveland 0 
			 Cumbria 0 
			 Derbyshire 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 5 
			 Dorset 0 
			 Durham 0 
			 Dyfed Powys 0 
			 Essex 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 
			 Greater Manchester 1 
			 Gwent 0 
			 Hampshire 1 
			 Hertfordshire 0 
			 Humberside 2 
			 Kent 0 
			 Lancashire 1 
			 Leicestershire 4 
			 Lincolnshire 0 
			 London, City of 0 
			 Merseyside 1 
			 Metropolitan Police 10 
			 Norfolk 1 
			 North Wales 2 
			 North Yorkshire 1 
			 Northamptonshire 1 
			 Northumbria 0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 
			 South Wales 0 
			 South Yorkshire 4 
			 Staffordshire 0 
			 Suffolk 2 
			 Surrey 3 
			 Sussex 1 
			 Thames Valley 1 
			 Warwickshire 0 
			 West Mercia 0 
			 West Midlands 3 
			 West Yorkshire 3 
			 Wiltshire 0 
			 Total 51 
			 (1) As at 4 November 2008; figures are revised as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2) Offences are shown according to the year in which the police initially recorded the offence as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made.

Ketamine: Theft

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many thefts of ketamine have been recorded from  (a) veterinary premises and  (b) hospitals in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not collected centrally. In the Home Office police recorded crime statistics, thefts of ketamine would be recorded under the 'Other theft' offence classification and cannot be separately identified from other thefts recorded within that category.

Metals: Theft

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will discuss with the British Metal Recycling Association its proposals for restricting the activities of illegal scrap operators.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 8 May 2009
	 The Association of Chief Police Officers organises a Conductive Metals Working Group which meets every two months. The working group consists of a wide range of representatives from police, industry and Government, including officials from the Home Office and BERR and members from the British Metal Recycling Association. The working group discusses the most effective ways of working in partnership to tackle metal theft. This includes measures to restrict the activities of illegal scrap operators through police activity with help from the industry. Potential legislation that would aim to further restrict the activities of illegal scrap operators is also discussed in this forum.

Police: Complaints

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of procedures in place for the investigation of alleged misconduct by the police; what recent representations she has received on this issue; and if she will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Home Office took part in the stocktake of the police complaints system last year led by the Independent Police Complaints Commission to assess how well the current system is operating and how it could be further improved in the light of experience of its operation since April 2004. The IPCC worked very closely with its stakeholders in identifying areas for potential change and also carried out a public confidence survey to hear what the wider public think and expect from the police complaints system. The process resulted in 10 proposals for change, which centred on the following themes:
	shifting the focus from identifying blame to putting things right;
	resolving the complaint at a local level;
	emphasis on quality assurance rather than bureaucratic checks;
	providing information more quickly.
	The proposals also tie into the recent reform of the police misconduct system and together will have significant impact on investigations into complaints against the police, and how these complaints are resolved.
	The proposals for change were published in an IPCC consultation document 'Building on Experience—taking stock of the new police complaints system after four years operational experience', which ran from 23 June and ran until 12 September 2008. In general there was strong support for the proposals, and in light of the responses the IPCC have started to implement those proposals not requiring legislative change.

Police: Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Band A council tax police precept after capping was in each police authority in England and Wales in each year since 1997-98.

Vernon Coaker: The information requested is set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  Precept (Band A) increases by police authority 1997-98 to 2009- 10 
			  £ 
			  Police authority  1997-98  1998-99  1999- 200 0  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04 
			 Avon and Somerset 34.69 36.57 40.41 45.06 48.44 55.60 74.43 
			 Bedfordshire 35.01 37.23 40.91 44.65 46.84 52.46 62.29 
			 Cambridgeshire 34.02 32.16 34.74 41.64 45.36 63.06 75.54 
			 Cheshire 34.11 35.91 37.52 40.71 43.11 49.03 58.73 
			 Cleveland 36.58 32.29 41.70 43.72 46.34 64.09 80.15 
			 Cumbria 38.80 48.23 52.18 56.15 60.40 66.99 87.14 
			 Derbyshire 34.21 38.20 43.90 47.41 50.25 61.31 74.51 
			 Devon and Cornwall 33.19 32.20 35.68 39.25 41.21 49.20 68.85 
			 Dorset 42.39 47.07 51.42 56.28 61.50 69.00 82.26 
			 Durham 34.80 32.40 33.60 35.10 37.62 42.96 53.04 
			 Essex 36.06 41.52 43.38 45.30 47.34 51.78 61.98 
			 Gloucestershire 34.11 38.49 45.93 51.99 54.70 62.67 95.06 
			 Hampshire 34.50 33.42 35.94 36.72 39.36 50.10 64.86 
			 Hertfordshire 34.34 39.22 42.36 45.33 48.26 54.01 65.52 
			 Humberside 34.98 34.98 36.54 40.20 57.18 63.60 75.36 
			 Kent 34.39 32.27 34.99 37.15 40.17 49.09 63.30 
			 Lancashire 35.50 35.61 38.46 41.73 45.26 49.24 58.38 
			 Leicestershire 34.84 40.81 42.53 45.20 50.35 63.47 69.85 
			 Lincolnshire 46.02 52.62 54.66 57.66 60.24 63.24 69.60 
			 Norfolk 33.72 35.76 42.90 48.06 55.74 66.90 81.30 
			 Northamptonshire 47.04 46.19 50.72 53.10 55.33 70.17 86.73 
			 North Yorkshire 33.15 32.31 34.80 38.03 41.73 59.06 104.00 
			 Nottinghamshire 33.19 36.21 41.03 43.45 46.78 56.78 72.87 
			 Staffordshire 36.49 48.28 52.57 55.62 62.91 67.29 84.33 
			 Suffolk 34.26 34.92 37.44 40.74 44.76 54.72 72.90 
			 Surrey 29.76 44.04 50.16 52.94 55.39 64.29 90.06 
			 Sussex 34.44 33.96 35.46 37.02 39.42 46.56 65.16 
			 Thames Valley 35.19 33.84 37.69 40.23 42.99 48.99 70.83 
			 Warwickshire 34.83 41.39 47.45 51.71 56.78 67.85 78.20 
			 West Mercia 33.91 35.76 39.33 49.37 52.33 69.67 79.87 
			 Wiltshire 36.81 41.85 45.99 50.56 55.51 61.03 73.12 
			  Total Shires 35.19 37.33 40.83 42.69 47.90 56.52 72.47 
			 
			 Greater Manchester 36.07 37.52 40.15 41.81 43.11 45.91 61.10 
			 Merseyside 44.58 47.85 51.63 54.21 56.91 63.17 67.69 
			 Northumbria 35.15 31.78 33.21 34.71 37.10 38.77 42.53 
			 South Yorkshire 35.53 36.19 37.81 39.51 41.86 49.39 62.87 
			 West Midlands 35.47 32.66 34.13 36.51 38.14 41.25 47.44 
			 West Yorkshire 35.45 34.94 36.51 39.15 40.55 50.61 59.21 
			  Total Mets 36.70 36.35 38.39 40.51 42.33 47.37 56.33 
			 
			  Total England (excl London) 35.56 37.10 40.25 42.19 46.60 54.38 68.71 
			 
			 Metropolitan 42.18 50.99 55.01 60.63 79.23 87.06 106.09 
			 
			  Total England (inc London) 36.73 39.55 42.84 45.12 51.87 59.68 74.77 
			 
			 Dyfed-Powys 32.28 39.72 48.66 56.94 60.60 65.40 82.74 
			 Gwent 32.73 36.24 39.83 49.98 56.02 63.45 79.41 
			 North Wales 32.35 39.03 44.22 52.33 55.15 64.35 84.63 
			 South Wales 32.81 37.50 43.57 53.61 57.05 59.90 69.01 
			  Total Wales 32.59 38.02 43.94 53.23 57.03 62.58 77.07 
			 
			  Total England and Wales 36.49 39.46 42.91 45.57 52.16 59.85 74.91 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			  Police authority  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09( 1)  2009-10( 2) 
			 Avon and Somerset 83.39 87.56 91.89 98.11 102.88 107.51 
			 Bedfordshire 71.45 74.65 78.37 82.29 90.19 93.71 
			 Cambridgeshire 86.22 90.36 94.86 99.60 104.58 109.80 
			 Cheshire 65.14 68.40 72.33 77.35 90.50 93.80 
			 Cleveland 91.23 95.79 100.48 105.40 115.91 121.65 
			 Cumbria 100.19 103.62 108.72 114.06 119.64 125.50 
			 Derbyshire 81.92 86.01 90.10 94.61 98.96 107.55 
			 Devon and Cornwall 75.59 79.75 83.69 87.82 94.79 99.48 
			 Dorset 90.24 94.74 99.42 104.34 109.50 114.96 
			 Durham 61.02 64.02 67.20 90.48 94.98 98.34 
			 Essex 66.18 69.84 73.98 77.64 81.48 85.50 
			 Gloucestershire 104.47 108.60 113.97 119.66 125.63 129.33 
			 Hampshire 72.24 75.84 79.62 83.58 90.36 94.74 
			 Hertfordshire 75.02 78.73 82.65 86.78 91.11 95.21 
			 Humberside 86.64 90.48 94.98 99.72 104.21 108.27 
			 Kent 70.44 73.92 77.58 81.45 85.50 89.77 
			 Lancashire 67.13 71.81 75.39 83.97 90.64 94.72 
			 Leicestershire 80.07 84.03 88.22 92.64 106.93 110.14 
			 Lincolnshire 74.82 79.62 83.58 87.72 110.53 116.04 
			 Norfolk 92.46 97.02 102.78 109.92 119.04 123.72 
			 Northamptonshire 99.62 102.94 108.07 113.47 119.08 124.44 
			 North Yorkshire 114.33 117.33 120.00 123.60 128.91 132.78 
			 Nottinghamshire 80.08 84.01 88.16 92.52 97.08 101.88 
			 Staffordshire 92.29 96.85 101.69 106.77 110.77 115.14 
			 Suffolk 79.80 83.34 87.24 91.56 99.78 104.04 
			 Surrey 98.04 102.84 108.84 114.18 125.28 131.40 
			 Sussex 70.08 73.50 77.16 81.78 85.80 89.82 
			 Thames Valley 80.34 84.19 88.39 92.79 96.51 100.85 
			 Warwickshire 84.37 88.35 92.63 97.27 109.79 114.15 
			 West Mercia 91.79 95.45 100.16 105.11 110.30 115.75 
			 Wiltshire 80.42 84.42 88.56 92.90 96.89 101.73 
			  Total Shires 80.75 84.65 88.87 93.96 100.44 105.03 
			
			 Greater Manchester 65.68 70.27 73.78 77.46 83.27 89.51 
			 Merseyside 73.45 77.12 80.97 85.02 89.27 93.74 
			 Northumbria 44.62 46.69 47.85 49.75 52.18 54.21 
			 South Yorkshire 68.53 71.92 75.51 79.28 83.04 85.73 
			 West Midlands 53.39 55.79 58.37 60.98 63.11 65.32 
			 West Yorkshire 68.04 71.37 74.93 78.68 82.41 84.88 
			  Total Mets 61.99 65.29 68.37 71.65 75.37 78.86 
			
			  Total England (excl London) 76.40 80.17 84.13 88.81 94.66 99.00 
			
			 Metropolitan 122.72 130.85 140.55 149.07 151.35 149.56 
			
			  Total England (inc London) 83.94 88.41 93.31 98.60 103.87 107.23 
			
			 Dyfed-Powys 95.10 95.40 100.14 105.12 110.34 115.80 
			 Gwent 92.75 96.71 101.55 106.63 111.43 116.44 
			 North Wales 101.05 105.96 111.26 118.77 124.12 130.32 
			 South Wales 77.14 80.27 84.28 88.49 92.92 97.57 
			  Total Wales 88.89 92.15 96.71 102.02 106.88 112.11 
			
			  Total England and Wales 84.22 88.63 93.52 98.81 104.05 107.52 
			 (1) In 2008-09, seven police authorities were proposed with capping action: Lincolnshire—in year designated (capped). Required to reduce budget from £116.6 million to £100.6 million. Bedfordshire—Nominated. Will be measured against a notional budget of £95.8 million in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Norfolk—Nominated. Will be measured against a notional budget of £137.9 million in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Surrey—Nominated. Will be measured against a notional budget of £189.6 million in 2009-10 and 2010-11. Cheshire, Leicestershire and Warwickshire—Nominated with future designation. Budget increases restricted at a level equivalent to a maximum council tax increase of 3 per cent. in 2009-10 and 2010-11. (2) In 2009-10, two police authorities are currently being considered for capping action, Derbyshire and Surrey.  Source: English Police Authorities—DCLG Welsh Police Authorities—WAG

Police: Firearms

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers of each rank have been authorised to carry a gun in each region in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The number of authorised firearms officers in police forces in England and Wales for each year since 1996-97 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of authorised firearms officers (AFOS) 
			   1996-97  1997-98  1998-99  1999- 20 00  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Total 6,738 6,585 6,308 6,262 6,064 5,776 5,763 6,096 6,243 6,584 6,728 6,780 
			 Avon and Somerset 165 161 153 150 135 116 84 122 118 117 103 123 
			 Bedfordshire 46 42 50 46 45 48 53 58 56 59 57 53 
			 Cambridgeshire 90 80 80 77 73 56 71 60 60 50 46 49 
			 Cheshire 70 82 70 75 74 81 89 75 76 73 80 72 
			 Cleveland 86 84 78 80 75 85 80 95 100 100 105 97 
			 City of London 88 81 55 73 74 73 72 86 89 86 45 49 
			 Cumbria 108 122 98 98 94 92 87 89 90 89 90 97 
			 Derbyshire 110 100 87 77 81 80 69 70 74 75 69 61 
			 Devon and Cornwall 151 147 82 119 100 108 115 132 123 122 132 142 
			 Dorset 74 72 72 66 67 57 59 60 64 62 67 71 
			 Durham 138 144 96 101 101 86 102 97 103 100 102 89 
			 Essex 228 217 235 228 195 180 184 186 202 205 220 225 
			 Gloucestershire 82 84 79 77 72 71 80 82 93 92 94 95 
			 Greater Manchester 209 182 217 218 240 219 202 205 187 245 217 250 
			 Hampshire 106 112 110 111 100 87 94 94 92 97 83 85 
			 Hertfordshire 42 41 43 52 44 46 47 50 53 52 49 53 
			 Humberside 90 102 102 97 102 96 96 96 101 92 83 87 
			 Kent 150 150 130 136 136 113 93 90 94 94 98 87 
			 Lancashire 132 125 132 143 132 138 129 122 115 123 103 143 
			 Leicestershire 104 94 90 90 85 69 68 51 53 59 67 64 
			 Lincolnshire 82 85 75 78 80 91 87 78 86 87 75 77 
			 Merseyside 147 165 121 96 103 78 84 94 93 129 139 153 
			 Metropolitan 2,035 1,971 1,951 1,977 1,940 1,805 1,823 2,060 2,134 2,331 2,584 2,530 
			 Norfolk 98 102 109 110 114 104 109 114 125 119 127 114 
			 Northamptonshire 92 92 92 75 77 51 56 52 50 56 59 53 
			 Northumbria 173 126 123 114 109 125 99 90 93 98 92 96 
			 North Yorkshire 108 95 83 59 66 66 64 60 56 78 67 67 
			 Nottinghamshire 128 129 120 116 137 136 131 138 138 149 146 137 
			 South Yorkshire 110 108 90 100 98 92 100 98 122 116 118 106 
			 Staffordshire 78 86 92 81 67 71 63 67 76 70 82 82 
			 Suffolk 82 96 101 98 90 90 80 96 88 84 78 74 
			 Surrey 76 61 69 71 72 62 48 53 49 51 45 54 
			 Sussex 180 146 156 131 118 120 141 134 130 129 129 123 
			 Thames Valley 185 194 179 187 185 156 180 172 176 180 186 180 
			 Warwickshire 41 38 44 54 45 50 51 46 53 55 59 63 
			 West Mercia 155 159 139 129 130 125 131 139 141 152 133 163 
			 West Midlands 88 95 92 93 83 111 110 124 134 145 175 177 
			 West Yorkshire 131 114 128 110 117 116 132 140 130 150 148 147 
			 Wiltshire 134 105 88 89 71 71 78 80 74 72 69 67 
			 Dyfed Powys 70 71 67 65 61 77 62 58 79 68 72 67 
			 Gwent 70 59 64 68 66 57 60 71 74 86 64 63 
			 North Wales 72 90 97 92 67 83 75 73 65 57 56 57 
			 South Wales 134 176 169 155 143 138 125 139 134 130 115 138

Proof of Identity: EU Nationals

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many identity papers of those claiming to be citizens of A8 countries were later found to be false in each year since 2004; and in which countries the false papers purported to be issued.

Phil Woolas: The information requested which does not include pre entry detections or detections at ports of entry is as follows:
	
		
			  Country  2004( 1)  2005  2006  2007  2009  Total 
			 CZE—Czech 60 72 96 82 50 360 
			 EST—Estonia 12 14 21 8 11 66 
			 HUN—Hungary 37 102 89 17 10 255 
			 LTU—Lithuania 387 573 498 213 155 1,826 
			 LVA—Latvia 17 64 170 90 36 377 
			 POL—Poland 101 153 250 145 117 766 
			 SVK—Slovakia 47 57 92 75 59 330 
			 SVN—Slovenia 19 14 37 22 16 108 
			 Total 680 1,049 1,253 652 454 — 
			 (1) From 1 May 2004. 
		
	
	The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.

Retail Trade: Crime

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many meetings of the National Retail Crime Steering Group there have been since February 2008.

Vernon Coaker: There have been two meetings held on 12 November 2008 and 4 March 2009 making a total of four since its inception in 2007.
	The Government emphasised their commitment to supporting businesses and local crime fighting partnerships in tackling retail crime locally, in an update to the 2008-11 Crime Strategy, which was published today. The updated strategy sets securing homes and protecting property as a key objective, including a commitment to develop a Retail Crime Action Plan. This objective sits alongside tackling not tolerating antisocial behaviour; saving lives through tackling violent crime; and countering organised crime. The revised strategy refocuses the priority approaches to tackling crime, to ensure that we meet new challenges and continue to have a tough and proactive approach to all crime.
	Copies will be available in the Libraries of the House and can be downloaded from:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/crime-strategy-07/cutting-crime-09

United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) full-time,  (b) part-time and  (c) seconded staff work at the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC); what their individual roles are; how staff are recruited to the UKHTC; and what steps are taken to ensure that staff of the UKHTC are qualified to provide assistance to victims of human trafficking.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 30 April 2009
	As of 31 March 2009 there were 35 permanent staff working at the UKHTC of which 10 are secondees from other organisations. All these staff are either recruited to the UKHTC through the agreed recruitment process of the legal entity or through the recruitment processes of partner agencies from which they have been seconded.
	All posts are designed to take forward the work outlined in the UKHTC Business Plan and Control Strategy which has a victim centred approach in line with the UK Action Plan. The centre staff have huge experience in dealing with victims of crime including human trafficking. This is further reinforced by the placement of staff from the Poppy Project within the centre and the work of the UKHTC Victim Care Group.
	In addition all staff members learning and development needs are assessed through the internal UKHTC reporting system and where applicable appropriate training is provided.

United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what activities have been undertaken as part of the UK Human Trafficking Centre's Blue Blindfold Campaign; and what the running costs of the campaign  (a) were in 2008-09 and  (b) are expected to be in 2009-10.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 30 April 2009
	 Blue Blindfold is a brand under which it is planned for all publicity material on anti-human trafficking campaigns to be produced. Negotiations are taking place between the UKHTC and UNODC to ensure a future strategic partnership with the latter organisation's Blue Heart campaign.
	Approximately, £130,000 was spent in 2008-09 on Blue Blindfold material as part of the "Walk in a Punter" campaign and the more recent awareness raising campaign in Bristol and Leeds.
	There is no estimate of running costs for 2009-10.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Care Homes: Finance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the proportion of local authority expenditure allocated to care home maintenance in  (a) the last 12 months and  (b) the last five years.

Phil Hope: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not collected centrally in the format requested. No estimate has been made.

Council Housing: Sales

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the maximum right to buy discount was in the local authorities covered by the Housing (Right to Buy) (Limits on Discount) (Amendment) Order 2003 in each year since 1997; and what plans she has to review the limits in  (a) these and  (b) other local authorities.

Iain Wright: The information requested is in the following table. The Government have no plans to change the maximum discounts available to qualifying tenants under the right to buy scheme.
	
		
			   Maximum right to buy discount 
			  Region/local authority area  1997-February 1999  February 1999-March 2003  March 2003-present 
			  Eastern
			 Watford 50,000 34,000 16,000 
			 
			  London
			 Barnet 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Bexley 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Brent 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Bromley 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Camden 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 City of London 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Croydon 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Ealing 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Enfield 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Greenwich 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Hackney 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Haringey 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Harrow 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Hillingdon 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Hounslow 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Islington 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Lambeth 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Lewisham 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Merton 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Newham 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Redbridge 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Richmond upon Thames 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Southwark 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Sutton 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Tower Hamlets 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Waltham Forest 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Wandsworth 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Westminster 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 
			  South East
			 Chiltern 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Epsom and Ewell 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Hart 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Oxford 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Reading 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Reigate and Banstead 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Tonbridge and Mailing 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 Vale of White Horse 50,000 38,000 16,000 
			 West Berkshire 50,000 38,000 16,000

Departmental Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which of her Department's  (a) Executive agencies and  (b) non-departmental public bodies have regional offices; and where each such office is located.

Sadiq Khan: Several of the Department's Executive public bodies have regional office structures.
	The Audit Commission, classified as a public corporation, has regional offices in Leicester, Solihull, Cambourne and London for central region; Bolton, Gateshead and Leeds for northern region; and Bristol and Exeter for southern region.
	The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) was established on 1 December 2008, and currently has regional offices in the following locations: Ashford, Birmingham, Bracknell, Bristol, Cambridge, Croydon, Exeter, Gateshead, Leeds, Leicester, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Telford, Warrington and Wolverhampton. Its offices in Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham are co-located with Government offices for the regions. The HCA is undertaking a review of the office accommodation it inherited from its predecessor bodies.
	The Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS) currently has 11 regional offices in the following locations: Werrington, Peterborough; Whitechapel, London; Witham, Essex; Bolton; Doncaster; Preston; Leamington Spa; Nottingham; Stafford; Horsham, Surrey; and Plymouth. Under the VTS's current estates' review, the offices at Leamington Spa, Nottingham and Horsham are due to close by the end of June 2009.
	None of the Department's Executive agencies has regional office structures.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on hospitality and entertainment in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell) on 10 October 2007,  Official Report, column 662W, and the answer given to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) on 27 October 2008,  Official Report, column 717W.
	The Department has spent £240,931 on hospitality in the last financial year 2008-09. The Department does not record expenditure for entertainment on its finance system and the figures in this reply relate to the broader category of hospitality. All expenditure on hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons information on the expenditure of Executive agencies is not included in her Department's proposals for local spending reports under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.

Sadiq Khan: Taking responses to the first phase of consultation on this subject into consideration, the first arrangements for the production of the first local spending report were made using information which is currently available to the Government and which do not impose significant costs on other bodies. We are still consulting on how the reports should develop over time through the second phase of the consultation which closes on 15 May 2009. We will publish a response to the second phase later in the summer when we will outline our plans for the longer term development of the local spending reports including the scope for extending the reports to include other agencies. This will enable the Government to develop local spending reports which are useful and whose cost is likely to justify their benefit.

Departmental Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department and its predecessor has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: The Department does not hold data on IT training on its corporate accounting system and such data could be generated only at disproportionate cost.

Empty Property

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statistics  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies collect on the level of vacant (i) commercial and (ii) industrial property.

Iain Wright: Data collection on vacant properties was reinstated recently on the national non-domestic rates (NNDRl) Supplementary form. Data from this are being validated and are intended to be published shortly.
	None of the four Department's agencies collects data in this respect.

Empty Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what her latest estimate is of the number of empty dwellings in England;
	(2)  how many dwellings in each region were empty for a period of longer than six months in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Details of the number of dwellings in each region in England that were empty for a period of longer than six months on specific dates in 2004 and 2005, are given in the following table. For details of long term vacant dwellings in 2006, 2007 and 2008, and the latest estimate of the number empty dwellings, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 27 April 2009,  Official Report , column 1107W.
	
		
			  Long term empty properties by regions 
			   1 November2004  10 October 2005 
			 North East 21,599 21,473 
			 North West 68,594 68,275 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 36,550 35,715 
			 East Midlands 26,219 27,925 
			 West Midlands 40,167 35,703 
			 East of England 25,020 25,175 
			 London 42,600 40,081 
			 South East 35,459 36,022 
			 South West 22,434 23,247 
			 Total England 318,642 313,616 
		
	
	The data are from snapshots taken in the autumn of each year and are as reported to communities and local Government by all billing authorities in England on their annual council taxbase (CTB) and CTB (Supplementary) returns.

Empty Property

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty dwelling management orders have been enforced in each local authority area since the inception of such orders.

Iain Wright: To date, 24 Interim Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs) have been approved by the Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS) since the legislation came into effect in April 2006. However, local authorities claim that in many cases the threat of an EDMO has been sufficient to make owners take action to bring long-term empty homes back into use.
	We always intended that the legislation should be used only as a last resort where other measures have proved unsuccessful. We want to encourage voluntary re-occupation of empty homes but this can only work well where there is realistic compulsion to back them up. EDMOs provide this compulsion and should therefore be a key component of a comprehensive empty property strategy.
	
		
			  Local authority  Number of interim EDMOs authorised 
			 London Borough of Bromley 1 
			 Carlisle District Council 1 
			 London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 1 
			 London Borough of Hounslow 2 
			 London Borough of Lewisham 5 
			 New Forest District Council 1 
			 Norwich City Council 5 
			 Peterborough City Council 2 
			 South Norfolk District Council 1 
			 Staffordshire Moorlands District Council 1 
			 Swale Borough Council 1 
			 Wychavon District Council 1 
			 South Tyneside Borough Council 1 
			 Southend-On-Sea Borough Council 1 
			 Total 24

First Time Buyers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 5 May 2009,  Official Report, column 137W, on housing: sales, what the average contribution made from the public purse to a home purchased under the First-Time Buyers Initiative was in each of the last three years; and what percentage of the average cost of a home purchased under the initiative this represented in each such year.

Iain Wright: The following table sets out the average contribution from the public purse, and what that represented as a percentage of the average cost, of a home purchased under the First Time Buyers Initiative.
	
		
			   Average contribution 
			   (£)  Percentage 
			 2006-07 91,801 47 
			 2007-08 91,080 47 
			 2008-09 77,969 44

Housing Associations: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) of 30 March 2009,  Official Report, column 972W, on housing associations: finance, which six associations are graded at three.

Iain Wright: The six associations graded as 'of concern' can be found in on the TSA's website at:
	http://www.tenantservicesauthority.org/server/show/nav.13843
	The assessment of the financial position of an association is an ongoing process. Consequently, the six associations graded as 'of concern' have been working with the TSA to resolve their issues.

Housing: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 130 of Budget 2009, in what manner Housing and Planning Delivery Grant has been amended to provide a £20 million efficiency saving.

Iain Wright: In our November 2008 allocation announcement and in the supporting papers to the Local Government Settlement which was laid before Parliament in January 2009, we set out our intention to review options for the Housing and Planning Delivery Grant in light of changing economic circumstances.
	We will shortly be publishing a consultation document which outlines our conclusions and the proposed reforms for year two and three of the scheme.

Housing: Finance

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much housing and planning delivery grant funding has been allocated to the London Borough of  (a) Redbridge and  (b) Waltham Forest for 2009-10.

Iain Wright: The Department will be consulting on the formula for HPDG and undertaking a data collection exercise to establish the number of authorities who qualify for each element of grant. We will publish provisional allocations in July 2009 and final allocations of grant will be published and paid in the autumn.

Housing: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department and its agencies have issued to local authorities on  (a) interest rates on home appreciation loans,  (b) repayment terms and equity charges relating to home appreciation loans and  (c) the use of contractors for works funded by home appreciation loans.

Iain Wright: The Department does not issue guidance to local authorities on interest rates for home appreciation loans.
	The Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order 2002 gives local authorities wide powers to provide assistance for repairs, improvements, adaptations and to demolish and re-construct homes. This assistance may take the form of a grant, loan, equity release, or more practical assistance such as home surveys or small repairs services. Local authorities must have policies in place setting out how they will use these powers and they must make summaries of their policy available. ODPM Circular 05/2003 explains the purpose and content of the regulatory reform order.
	The Department published 'Mortgage Sales Guidance for Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords' in November 2005 which sets out the procedures that both registered social landlords and local authorities must follow when providing mortgage finance under the regulatory reform order.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average construction cost of a home built  (a) for social rent and  (b) for affordable housing with support from the Homes and Communities Agency and its predecessors was in each year since 1997.

Margaret Beckett: The national average total cost of providing homes for social rent and intermediate affordable housing through the Homes and Communities Affordable Housing Programme is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Allocation year  Intermediate  Rent 
			 1998-99 73,111 65,571 
			 1999-2000 81,394 72,262 
			 2000-01 99,898 84,917 
			 2001-02 103,004 97,359 
			 2002-03 110,553 108,348 
			 2003-04 122,566 118,538 
			 2006-07 155,786 136,839 
			 2007-08 165,116 153,025 
			 2008-09 165,683 149,591 
			  Source: Homes and Communities Agency 
		
	
	Information is not available for the years 1997-98, 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Housing: Low Incomes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable for the national roll-out of the National Register for Social Housing is.

Iain Wright: The National Register of Social Housing (NROSH) data collection was rolled out in 2006.

Housing: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home repossessions initiated by  (a) building societies and  (b) banks there were in (i) Crosby constituency and (ii) Merseyside in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on this is on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/2108
	The CML data on repossessions are no longer freely available from their website. For detailed time series information members of the public can request to subscribe to CML to obtain access to a restricted website.
	The Financial Services Authority data is available on their website at
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/
	The CML and FSA release slightly different figures. The CML data is for repossessions on first-charge mortgages only, including Buy-to-Let mortgages, as issued by their members. CML estimate that their lenders currently account for 95 per cent. of mortgage lending. The FSA data, as well as covering possessions on first-charge mortgages, covers possessions on second-charge loans by regulated firms (many second charge lenders are not regulated) but doesn't cover possessions as comprehensively on Buy-to-Let mortgages, as some of these are from unregulated firms. The overall effect of the differences is that the FSA's statistics on possessions are slightly higher.

Infrastructure Planning Commission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 20 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1409-10W, on the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC), if she will make it her policy to ensure that the IPC's  (a) staff,  (b) chief executive officer,  (c) commissioners and  (d) board members are appointed on terms which provide for a notice period of no more than three months.

Margaret Beckett: The notice to be given by the CEO, commissioners and board members will be agreed in the normal way when the terms of their specific contracts are agreed following a successful interview process. The notice period applying to other staff will be determined by IPC in the light of its business needs.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether local spending reports prepared under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 will include information on budgets.

Sadiq Khan: The first Local Spending Report, under section 6 of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 was published on 29 April 2009 using outturn data from 2006-07. These are the latest available audited data and are not subject to change as budgeted data may be.
	The consultation on Local Spending Reports, with a deadline of 15 May 2009, considers how the reports should develop over time. The Government will consider all the representations submitted and we will publish our response later this year.

Local Government: Cost Effectiveness

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans her Department has for implementation in local government of the recommendations of the Operational Efficiency programme.

John Healey: The local government sector has a strong track record of delivering substantial value for money savings. Both central and local government have identified more scope for increased efficiencies to be driven out in the current 2007 CSR period and beyond as supported by the findings of the Operational Efficiency Programme. Councils are raising their ambition for efficiency and the Government are working with the sector to help authorities deliver that ambition.

Local Government: Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what her latest estimate is of the size of the deficit of the Local Government Pension Scheme;
	(2)  what steps her Department plans to take to reduce the deficit in the Local Government Pension Scheme;
	(3)  what proportion of money in the Local Government Pension Scheme is invested in equities.

John Healey: When Local Government Pension Scheme funds in England and Wales were last valued on 31 March 2007, total assets of £132 billion represented some 83 per cent. of the scheme's liabilities of £159 billion. Equities totalled 67 per cent. of the scheme's assets with a market value of £88.4 billion. For the year ending 31 March 2008, expenditure on benefits totalled £5.2 billion compared with an income of £10 billion.
	The next triennial valuation exercise takes place on 31 March 2010 to assess the scheme's funding position, including the effect of recent stock market conditions. Any funding deficit identified will be recovered through locally agreed recovery plans, typically over a 20 year period, and be reflected in contribution rates set for the period 2011-12 to 2013-14 and beyond.
	Discussions continue with stakeholders to ensure that the scheme remains affordable, viable and fair to taxpayers.

Local Government: Standards

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many reports the monitoring officer in each local authority has made in each of the last five years; in respect of which authority each report was made, and on what date; and what steps her Department took in each case.

John Healey: This information is not held centrally.

Local Government: Standards

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) support,  (b) advice and  (c) training her Department makes available to local authority monitoring officers on the discharge of their duties.

John Healey: My Department does not offer support, advice or training directly to local authority monitoring officers. Support is provided by the Standards Board for England through its statutory and non-statutory guidance on the code of conduct for members and the local standards framework; its dedicated monitoring officers' helpline; its seminars and annual assembly. The board is also developing a training manual which will assist monitoring officers when providing training to members on the code of conduct and the standards framework.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the cost of extending the Mortgage Rescue Scheme to households in negative equity; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Mortgage Rescue Scheme was launched nationally on 1 January 2009. In the Budget 2009 it was announced that the scheme would be expanded to include some households in negative equity from 1 May. Following the Budget, an additional £80 million has been made available for the scheme, funded from the Department's end-year flexibility.
	The main costs of including households in negative equity will usually be met by lenders who have agreed to write down levels of negative equity on a case-by-case basis. However, these cases will have a higher than average unit cost as they will be suitable for Government Mortgage to Rent rather than the Shared Equity option.
	The extension of the scheme to include households in negative equity was made quickly in direct response to feedback on delivery of the scheme at local level, and will contribute to helping up to 6,000 households through the scheme.
	We have also relaxed the regional property price caps for Mortgage Rescue, to enable more households to benefit from this form of support. This means for example in the South West the cap has increased from £195,000 to £205,000, thereby allowing more households to be considered for the scheme.
	We have also announced a further £20 million funding for local authorities to enable them to offer households small loans or one off payment to help prevent repossession or eviction. Homelessness prevention work by local authorities is continuing to have a major impact—with the number of households being accepted homeless(1) being reduced by over 60 per cent. since 2003. The use of temporary accommodation also continues to fall—this is a remarkable achievement given the current economic climate.
	We are committed to ensuring households at risk of repossession attending court receive support on the day. Court desks provide free, immediate legal advice and representation at County court hearings, and we have worked closely with the Legal Services Commission to review the provision of court desks across the country. During the current financial year we are providing increased funding through local authorities to provide court desk provision in up to 80 County courts—double our commitment in 2008-09.
	(1) Owed a main duty under the Homelessness Act.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home repossessions initiated by  (a) building societies and  (b) banks there were in (i) the London borough of Bexley and (ii) Greater London in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on this is on its website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/2108
	The CML data on repossessions are no longer freely available from their website. For detailed time series information members of the public can request to subscribe to CML to obtain access to a restricted website.
	The Financial Services Authority data are available on its website at
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/
	The CML and FSA release slightly different figures. The CML data are for repossessions on first-charge mortgages only, including Buy-to-Let mortgages, as issued by their members. CML estimate that their lenders currently account for 95 per cent. of mortgage lending. The FSA data, as well as covering possessions on first-charge mortgages, cover possessions on second-charge loans by regulated firms (many second charge lenders are not regulated) but do not cover possessions as comprehensively on Buy-to-Let mortgages, as some of these are from unregulated firms. The overall effect of the differences is that the FSA's statistics on possessions are slightly higher.

National Policy Statements

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the location-specific elements of national policy statements will include statements that development should not take place in specific areas.

Iain Wright: The majority of national policy statements (NPSs) are not expected to be locationally specific. Where they are, for example the airports and nuclear NPSs, the intention is primarily to identify suitable or potentially suitable locations for development, rather than to identify locations which are unsuitable for development.

Non-domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for how long transitional relief for the 2010 business rates revaluation will last; and what assessment has been made of the  (a) effectiveness and  (b) equity of the 2005 rates revaluation transitional relief scheme after its implementation.

John Healey: The 2010 business rates revaluation takes effect from 1 April 2010. We will introduce transitional arrangements to phase in changes in rate bills as a result of the revaluation. We will consult upon the details of the transitional arrangements, including the length of the scheme, later in the summer. The Government continue to keep the rating system under review, including the operation of transitional arrangements.

Property Development: Derelict Land

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hectares of brown field land was developed in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The area of previously developed land that was developed in each year since 1997 is available in live table P261 on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/xls/1133773.xls
	For ease of reference I quote the details as follows:
	
		
			   Hectares 
			 1997 8,730 
			 1998 7,950 
			 1999 (1)— 
			 2000 8,530 
			 2001 9,490 
			 2002 8,270 
			 2003 11,030 
			 2004 6,040 
			 2005 8,880 
			 2006 4,570 
			 (1) Not published.  Note:  The 2006 figure is provisional

JUSTICE

Antisocial Behaviour: Fixed Penalties

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what evaluation he has made of the effectiveness of use of penalty notices for disorder amongst 10 to 15-year- olds in the six pilot areas.

Jack Straw: The evaluation report on penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) for 10 to 15-year-olds in the six pilot areas was published on 5 November 2008. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. We are currently revising the Police Operational Guidance to take into account the recommendations of the evaluation in collaboration with interested groups.

Coroners

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many narrative reports he has received from HM coroners under Coroners Rule 43 since its revision in July 2008; which inquests gave rise to each such report; which coroner presided in each case; in which of those inquests the coroner sat without a jury; and to which Government Department each report was referred.

Bridget Prentice: Between 17 July 2008 and 7 May 2009 230 Rule 43 reports have been received from HM Coroners. Table A shows details of the coroners, deputy coroners and assistant deputy coroners who submitted the reports. 49 of the reports were directed at Government Departments and details are shown in table B. Information is not held centrally on the specific inquests which gave rise to each report or which of these inquests sat without a jury. The Lord Chancellor will be publishing a summary of rule 43 reports received since 17 July 2008 shortly.
	
		
			  Table A—Number of Rule 43 reports issued by HM Coroners between 17 July 2008 and 7 May 2009 
			  HM Coroner  Number of Rule 43 reports issued 
			 Avon  
			 Paul Forrest, Coroner 3 
			 Terry Moore, Deputy Coroner 2 
			 Berkshire  
			 Peter Bedford, Coroner 2 
			 Birmingham and Solihull  
			 Aidan Cotter, Coroner 6 
			 Black Country  
			 Robin Balmain, Coroner 2 
			 Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley  
			 Michael Singleton, Coroner 3 
			 Bournemouth, Poole and East Dorset  
			 Sheriff Payne, Coroner 2 
			 Brighton and Hove  
			 Veronica Hamilton-Deeley, Coroner 1 
			 John Hooper, Deputy Coroner 2 
			 Buckinghamshire  
			 Roger Hulett, Coroner 1 
			 Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan  
			 Mary Hassell, Coroner 16 
			 Carmarthenshire  
			 William Owen, Coroner 2 
			 Cheshire  
			 Nicholas Rheinberg, Coroner 5 
			 Janet Napier, Deputy Coroner 3 
			 Jean Harkin, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Geoff Roberts, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Cumbria: South and East  
			 Ian Smith, Coroner 2 
			 Derby and South Derbyshire  
			 Robert Hunter, Coroner 6 
			 Louise Pinder, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Devon: Greater and Exeter  
			 Elizabeth Earland, Coroner 5 
			 Darran Salter, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Devon: Plymouth and South West  
			 Ian Arrow, Coroner 1 
			 Andrew Cox, Deputy 2 
			 Devon: South and Torbay  
			 Ian Arrow, Coroner 1 
			 Durham and Darlington  
			 Andrew Tweddle, Coroner 2 
			 East Riding and Kingston Upon Hull  
			 Nicola Mundy, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Essex and Thurrock  
			 Caroline Beasley-Murray, Coroner 1 
			 Lorna Tagliavini, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Gloucestershire  
			 Alan Crickmore, Coroner Great Yarmouth 1 
			 Nicholas Holroyd, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Gwent  
			 David Bowen, Coroner 1 
			 Hampshire: North East  
			 Andrew Bradley, Coroner 1 
			 Hampshire: Portsmouth and South East  
			 David Horsley, Coroner 3 
			 Hertfordshire  
			 Edward Thomas, Coroner 5 
			 David Pidgeon, Deputy coroner 1 
			 Graham Danbury, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Kent: Central and South East  
			 Rachel Redman, Coroner 2 
			 Kent: North West  
			 Alan Blunsden, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Lincolnshire: North and Grimsby  
			 Paul Kelly, Coroner 1 
			 Lincolnshire: West  
			 Roger Atkinson, Coroner 3 
			 Liverpool  
			 Andre Rebello, Coroner 1 
			 London: City  
			 Paul Matthews, Coroner 3 
			 London: East  
			 Elizabeth Stearns, Coroner 1 
			 London: South  
			 Roy Palmer, Coroner 1 
			 Selena Lynch, Deputy 1 
			 London: Inner North  
			 Andrew Reid 2 
			 London: Inner South  
			 Gail Eliman, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Andrew Harris, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Selena Lynch, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Sir Michael Wright, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 London: Inner West  
			 Paul Knapman, Coroner 1 
			 Shirley Radcliffe, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 London: West  
			 Elizabeth Pygott, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Lorna Tagliavini, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Manchester: City  
			 Nigel Meadows, Coroner 12 
			 Manchester: Greater - South  
			 John Pollard, Coroner 14 
			 Joanne Kearsley, Deputy Coroner 6 
			 Manchester: Greater - West  
			 Jennifer Leeming, Coroner 2 
			 Manchester: Greater - North  
			 Simon Nelson, Coroner 1 
			 Milton Keynes  
			 Rodney Comer, Coroner 1 
			 Tom Osborne, Deputy Coroner 2 
			 Norfolk: Greater  
			 William Armstrong, Coroner 7 
			 Northamptonshire  
			 Tom Osborne, Assistant Deputy Coroner 3 
			 Pembrokeshire  
			 Michael Howells, Coroner 3 
			 Peterborough  
			 Gordon Ryall, Coroner 2 
			 Preston and West Lancashire  
			 James Adley, Coroner 1 
			 Sefton, St. Helens and Knowsley  
			 Christopher Sumner, Coroner 1 
			 Shropshire: Mid and North  
			 John Ellery, Coroner 3 
			 Somerset: East  
			 Tony Williams, Coroner 1 
			 Somerset: West  
			 Michael Rose, Coroner 2 
			 Staffordshire: South  
			 Andrew Haigh, Coroner 17 
			 Staffordshire: North and Stoke-on-Trent  
			 Ian Smith, Coroner 1 
			 Sunderland  
			 Derek Winter, Coroner 4 
			 Karin Walsh, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 West Sussex  
			 Penelope Scholfield, Coroner 4 
			 Wiltshire and Swindon  
			 David Masters, Coroner 4 
			 Peter Hatvany, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 David Ridley, Assistant Deputy Coroner 2 
			 Worcestershire  
			 Geraint Williams, Coroner 1 
			 Yorkshire: South - Western  
			 Christopher Domes 6 
			 Yorkshire: West - Eastern  
			 David Hichcliffe, Coroner 4 
			 Richard Manning, Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Mary Burke, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Kevin McLaughlin, Assistant Deputy Coroner 1 
			 Melanie Williamson, Assistant Deputy Coroner 3 
			 Yorkshire: West - Western  
			 Roger Whittaker, Coroner 3 
			 Paul Marks, Assistant Deputy 1 
			   
			 Total Rule 43 reports issued 230 
		
	
	
		
			  Table  B — Government Departments receiving Rule 43 reports between 17 July 2008 and 7 May 2009 
			  Government Department  Number of Rule 43 reports 
			 Department for Communities and Local Government 1 
			 Department of Health 8 
			 Department of Transport 12 
			 Department of Work and Pensions 2 
			 Driver and Licensing Agency 2 
			 Environment Agency 1 
			 Government Office for the South West 1 
			 Health and Safety Executive 1 
			 Highways Agency 6 
			 Home Office 3 
			 Ministry of Defence 6 
			 Ministry of Justice 4 
			 Welsh Assembly Government 2 
			   
			 Total number of Rule 43 reports referred to Government Departments: 49

Departmental Buildings

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor spent on building maintenance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The cost of building maintenance in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 161,861,665 
			 2005-06 160,616,396 
			 2006-07 205,042,692 
			 2007-08 289,179,963 
			 2008-09 229,563,822 
			 Total 1,046,264,538

Departmental Complaints

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

David Hanson: Complaints from these sources about individual members of staff are dealt with in accordance with the procedure outlined on the Ministry of Justice's website at
	www.justice.gov.uk/contactus
	All other complaints from these sources about the Department's policies and procedures and the services it provides are referred to the appropriate officials for a response. Officials aim to respond to those complaints within 15 working days.

Departmental Contracts

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which services his Department and its predecessor have outsourced in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice does not hold centralised data on the services that the Department and its predecessors have outsourced in each of the last five years. This is because prior to 1 April 2009, procurement was undertaken in numerous parts of the Ministry of Justice and its predecessors and the information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	A new procurement directorate for the whole of the Ministry of Justice was created on 1 April following an Office of Government Commerce procurement capability review recommendation. Part of the remit of the new directorate is to bring together information on all Ministry of Justice contracts.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to his letter of 27 April 2009 to the hon. Member for Torbay following the answer of 31 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 1067-9W, on departmental surveys, whether the budget for catering of £100 per celebration lunch for his Department's staff is for each event or per head.

Jack Straw: The £100 per celebration lunch is per event not per person. On average, 18 people attend each celebration lunch. The average cost per head for those in attendance at the lunch has been £5.55.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on the purchase of  (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and  (b) printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice is committed to reusing, recycling and reducing waste. Wherever possible, office supplies are from recycled sources and all white paper for printing and photocopying across the Ministry now contains a minimum of 80 per cent. recycled fibre. It is not possible, however, to determine what proportion of total expenditure on office supplies relates to recycled products. To do so would require a detailed analysis of an extremely large number of invoices which could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
	The Ministry's financial systems do not record information at a level of detail that would enable it to identify expenditure specifically on ink cartridges. Some analysis was, however, undertaken for the financial year ending 31 March 2008. This identified expenditure of £1,346,248 from amounts separately identified on invoices.

Departmental Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007. Central spend on IT training in each of the last two years in the MOJ, excluding the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 47,000 
			 2008-09 41,000 
		
	
	Responsibility for learning and development training is devolved to business groups within the MOJ. In the year 2006-07 the former Department for Constitutional Affairs spent £117,118 on centrally provided IT training. Comparative figures for the years 2005-06 and 2004-05 are not available. In NOMS, IT training spend has been devolved to local level and details are not held centrally. As such, the total spend on IT training across the MOJ could be established only at disproportionate cost.
	Most IT training is provided by experienced members of staff or local business training teams. Spend on IT training has declined in recent years with less recruitment and a move to provide more learning through coaching rather than training courses. Training programmes, which support the introduction of new processes in business areas, can also include an element of IT training.

Departmental Work Experience

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many work placements his Department and its predecessor offered to  (a) school pupils,  (b) university students and  (c) graduates in each of the last five years.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice does not hold all of this information centrally. Business groups including Prison Service establishments, Her Majesty's Courts Service, the National Offender Management Service headquarters, Corporate Performance Group and individual probation boards have accommodated placements mainly in conjunction with local universities, colleges and schools.
	Additionally, the MOJ has provided paid work for interns through the ethnic minority summer development programme and the disability summer placement scheme as follows:
	
		
			   Ethnic Minority Summer Development Programme interns in MOJ  Disability Summer Placement Scheme interns in MOJ 
			 2004 8 3 
			 2005 10 3 
			 2006 4 1 
			 2007 3 2 
			 2008 6 0 
		
	
	Participants are a mixture of undergraduates and graduates.

Family Courts: Greater London

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions his Department  (a) has had and  (b) plans to have with magistrates in Waltham Forest and Redbridge on family court provision prior to the transfer of the family court to Stratford.

Bridget Prentice: There was full public consultation in 2006 on proposals to form a network of family courts in London. This consultation made specific reference to the transfer of Redbridge and Waltham Forest family proceedings court work to Stratford. During the consultation period, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Camberwell and Peckham (Ms Harman) and officials met with the local MP and representative JPs from Waltham Forest to discuss the proposals. The formal response to consultation was published in December 2006. Her Majesty's Courts Service is fully involving Waltham Forest magistrates as plans are implemented, through ongoing dialogue. Redbridge family hearings transferred to Stratford in August 2008.

Fines: Surcharges

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was collected in victim surcharges in each Court Service area in February and March 2009.

Maria Eagle: The victims surcharge is a £15 charge imposed on offenders ordered to pay fines by magistrates or Crown courts in England and Wales in connection with offences committed on or after 1 April 2007.
	Victim surcharges collected by each court service area for February and March 2009 were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Area  February 2009  March 2009 
			 Avon and Somerset 16,417 19,102 
			 Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire 44,159 50,787 
			 Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire 38,442 42,875 
			 Black Country, Staffordshire and West Mercia 29,937 33,324 
			 Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk 30,539 36,336 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 32,916 38,548 
			 Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria 36,846 40,680 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 33,602 41,791 
			 Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 27,546 38,483 
			 Devon and Cornwall 15,619 18,481 
			 Dorset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 20,041 23,322 
			 Greater Manchester 34,866 42,513 
			 Hampshire and the Isle of Wight 19,844 22,038 
			 Humber and South Yorkshire 21,638 44,344 
			 Kent 15,937 18,685 
			 Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire 23,991 24,807 
			 London 85,197 104,091 
			 Mid and West Wales 4,413 5,872 
			 North and West Yorkshire 32,773 37,569 
			 North Wales 8,362 12,290 
			 South East Wales 25,458 28,571 
			 Surrey and Sussex 19,523 26,153 
			 Thames Valley 19,697 25,983 
			 Total 637,763 776,645

Industrial Health and Safety

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessor spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The MOJ does not compile health and safety spend across its agencies and other bodies centrally and could do so only at disproportionate cost. However, spend for the Department headquarters on health and safety measures is:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2004-05 65,000 
			 2005-06 54,300 
			 2006-07 106,700 
			 2007-08 123,100 
			 2008-09 122,800 
		
	
	The MOJ corporate health and safety branch provides a professional health and safety advisory and technical service, including assistance and information to all levels of management to enable compliance with relevant Health and Safety legislation. This includes auditing of health and safety management systems and reviewing performance across the MOJ.
	The MOJ annual report provides an assurance on health and safety performance on how the MOJ plans to discharge its legal responsibility in order to comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated relevant statutory provisions.

National Offender Management Service

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost of the Managing Surplus Employees scheme in the National Offender Management Service in financial year 2009-10;
	(2)  what support his Department provides for employees of the National Offender Management Service redeployed under the terms of the Managing Surplus Employees scheme;
	(3)  how many surplus employees as defined under the Managing Surplus Employees scheme of the National Offender Management Service  (a) have been redeployed,  (b) have been made redundant and  (c) have left the Service for another reason in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: As a result of changes being made within the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) staff are being redeployed either within the agency or to roles elsewhere within the Ministry of Justice.
	The additional costs for managing the surplus employee system within NOMS in the financial year 2009-10 is estimated to be in the region of £55,000. Costs are relatively small, because the service is able to use new technology to manage these process.
	Staff who are made surplus are subject to redeployment procedures but remain the responsibility of an identified line manager who is required to maintain support, identify any temporary work and assist the employee to find a new role. A range of support arrangements is currently being implemented, including retraining where this is appropriate. Staff who need to relocate to find a new post are able to apply for assistance with additional travel or relocation under existing NOMS arrangements for staff transfer.
	Information on the outcome of the redeployment arrangements are as yet unavailable until the new IT is fully functional at the end of May. It is NOMS policy to avoid redundancies and to date no member of staff has been made redundant as a result of the redeployment arrangements.

National Offender Management Service

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many National Offender Management Service employees are registered as surplus under the terms of the Managing Surplus Employees scheme.

David Hanson: We have currently got 184 employees registered as surplus under the terms of the Managing Surplus Employees scheme.
	Staff are supported while on this list to assist them in finding a new posting. No staff are being made compulsorily redundant as a direct result of this scheme.

National Offender Management Service: Recruitment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make an assessment of the merits of ensuring that persons with a probation service employment background can apply for arising vacancies within the interventions and substance misuse group of the National Offender Management Service.

David Hanson: The National Offender Management Service fully recognises the benefits of utilising the specialist skills of probation staff in appropriate posts. Where there is a business need for a particular post to be filled by someone with a probation service employment background, groups may second or advertise externally in accordance with National Offender Management Service and civil service recruitment policy.

National Offender Management Service: Secondment

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to extend the two-year term of probation service secondees in the National Offender Management Service.

David Hanson: All secondments into the civil service are limited to a two-year term in line with the civil service commission's recruitment principles. Extension of this period can exceptionally be sought from the civil service commissioners if required.

Offences Against Children

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of offenders aged 21 years or over convicted of offences related to sexual activity with a child under 13 received  (a) immediate custody,  (b) a suspended sentence,  (c) a community sentence,  (d) a fine,  (e) a conditional or absolute discharge and  (f) other treatment in the last year for which figures are available.

Jack Straw: The available figures are shown in the following table. The proportion of those given various disposals is shown as a percentage of those sentenced. Lags in time between conviction and sentencing may mean that the total numbers convicted and sentenced in a year may not match. Data held by the Ministry of Justice record the age of the offender at the time of sentencing, and the figures show all offenders aged 21 and over at that point.
	
		
			  Percentage( 1)  of offenders sentenced to disposals for sexual activity with a child under 13, 2003-07 
			   Percentage discharged  Percentage fined  Percentage given community sentence  Percentage given suspended sentence  Percentage given immediate custody  Percentage otherwise dealt with  Total persons sentenced 
			  2007
			 Familial sexual offences with a child under 13 0.0 0.0 8.0 16.0 76.0 0.0 25 
			 Rape or attempted rape of a child under 13 0.0 0.0 5.8 2.9 91.3 0.0 69 
			 Sexual activity with a child under 13 0.0 0.0 23.3 9.3 65.1 2.3 129 
			 Sexual assault of a female child under 13 1.7 0.0 14.5 9.8 73.6 0.4 235 
			 Sexual assault of a male child under 13 0.0 0.0 15.0 7.5 77.5 0.0 40 
			 All above 0.8 0.0 15.3 8.8 74.3 0.8 498 
			 (1) Due to rounding rows may not sum to exactly 100 per cent.  Notes: 1. These data are based on the principle offence. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed; where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe. 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Complaints

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints the prison service internal complaints process received from prisoners in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The number of internal complaints submitted by prisoners between the fiscal years 2000-01 and 2007-08 is shown in the table. Data for prisoner complaints was not centrally recorded before the fiscal year 2000-01 and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			   Total number of complaints  Average prison population 
			 2000-01 33,529 64,680 
			 2001-02 36,752 67,633 
			 2002-03 70,053 71,498 
			 2003-04 120,701 73,658 
			 2004-05 132,083 74,808 
			 2005-06 159,467 76,564 
			 2006-07 186,028 78,880 
			 2007-08 192,431 80,676 
		
	
	A revised complaints procedure was introduced in February 2002, which, among other improvements, gave prisoners greater access to complaint forms.
	An effective complaints system underpins much of prison life. An efficient system for dealing with prisoners' requests and complaints aims to given prisoners confidence in the integrity of the system and so helps to ensure that the prison service meets its obligation of dealing fairly, openly and humanely with prisoners.

Ranby Prison: Explosives

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what reports he has received on a controlled explosion at HMP Ranby on 1 May 2009; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: I received a report on 5 May summarising the operational incidents which had taken place from 1 May to 4 May. The incident at Ranby appeared on this report. This is now the subject of a police investigation.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Census: Databases

Mark Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what arrangements have been made for the  (a) retention and  (b) maintenance of the address database compiled for the 2011 census once the census has been completed.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated May 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what arrangements have been made for the (a) retention and (b) maintenance of the address database compiled for the 2011 Census once the Census has been completed. (274197)
	Although the Address Register strategy takes account of other national addressing initiatives it is only being developed for the 2011 Census. Subject to having appropriate data sharing agreements in place, it should provide a one-off quality improvement to each of the main address sources. The database developed for the Census will be retained by the Office for National Statistics. No plans are in place at present for the maintenance of the database.
	Addresses returned on census forms as verified addresses are addresses that belong to the ONS to use for statistical purposes only, and will be kept by ONS.

Departmental Billing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) its agency paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: The amount of interest paid to suppliers in 2006-07 and 2007-08 for late payment can be found in the Cabinet Office annual report and resources accounts 2006-07 and 2007-08, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House. No interest has been paid to suppliers for late payment in 2008-09. The Cabinet Office does not have any agencies.

Departmental Buildings

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answers to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 13 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 800-1W, on departmental buildings, and of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 467W, on 10 Downing Street: repairs and maintenance, how much was spent on the renovation of lavatories in Downing Street properties in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2007-08.

Kevin Brennan: The information is not available in the format requested. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Billericay (Mr. Baron) on 13 March 2009,  Official Report, column 801W.

Departmental Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much his Department has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: Information relating to spend on IT training for staff is not held centrally and therefore is available only at disproportionate cost.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much expenditure was incurred by his Department in respect of the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Si�n Simon: The total expenditure incurred by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in respect of the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009 was 1,708.23.

Cabinet: Glasgow

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what expenditure on  (a) travel,  (b) accommodation and  (c) food (i) he and (ii) officials in his Department incurred in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009.

Si�n Simon: The following expenditure has been incurred by DIUS in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009 by (i) the Secretary of State, (ii) Lord Drayson and (iii) officials. Costs for car hire, which officials will also in part have utilised, is placed under the relevant Minister.
	 (a) (i) 642.30
	(ii) 502.43
	(iii) 497.50
	 (b) (i) Zero
	(ii) Zero
	(iii) 66.00
	 (c) (i) Zero
	(ii) Zero
	(iii) Zero

Departmental Assets

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assets his Department shares with the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Si�n Simon: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) has a separate asset register from the Department for Children, Schools and Families' (DCSF). No assets are shared. However, DCSF provides DIUS with a wide range of corporate shared services. These include elements of information technology infrastructure and the provision of office space, building services and furniture at three DCSF sites: Moorfoot in Sheffield, Castle View house in Runcorn and Mowden hall in Darlington.

Departmental Buildings

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on building maintenance in each year since its creation; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: The Department's building services are provided through the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), which manage and maintain the buildings that DIUS occupies.
	BERR charges DIUS for maintenance costs at Kingsgate house, London. These charges are as follows:
	
		
			
			 June 2007-December 2007 0 
			 January 2008-March 2008 27,089 
			 April 2008-March 2009 82,810 
		
	
	Maintenance costs cannot be separately identified in the amount that DIUS has paid to DCSF for office space and building services.
	The Department has a contract for an integrated facilities management service for the buildings in Teddington occupied by the National Physical Laboratory and the National Measurement Office (formerly the National Weights and Measures Laboratory).
	The cost of maintenance is not paid separately but the amount of the facilities management payment which relates to maintenance equated to approximately:
	
		
			
			 July 2007 to March 2008 1,125,000 
			 April 2008 to March 2009 1,550,000 
		
	
	The cost of facilities management on the site (including maintenance) was recovered from the occupiers of the buildings: NPL Management Ltd. and the National Weights and Measures Laboratory (an executive agency of DIUS).

Industrial Health and Safety

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on compliance with requirements of health and safety at work legislation in each year since its creation; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: It is not possible to identify separately all of the Department's expenditure on health and safety compliance. The management of health and safety involves a combination of elements, each of which is part of a wider role or service. The amounts spent on special furniture to meet the health and safety needs of particular members of staff are as follows:
	June 2007 to March 2008: At least 4,037. Full amount identifiable only at disproportionate cost, because records were not kept separately for DIUS in all buildings.
	April 2008 to March 2009: 2,944.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Discrimination: Religion

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment has been made of the likely effect of the provisions of the European Commission's Draft Discrimination Directive on  (a) faith schools and  (b) public authorities procuring services from faith groups.

Maria Eagle: EU competence in relation to education is restricted to contributing to the development of quality education and encouraging member states in their responsibility for their own educational systems and content of teaching. The draft directive cannot therefore affect faith schools in the UK. We are seeking to make this clear in the text during negotiations on the directive.
	The draft directive proposes to prohibit discrimination in the provision of services on the grounds of religion or belief, disability, age and sexual orientation. It applies to those who are providing the service and not those who are procuring the service. Any organisation that is delivering a service, whether a faith group or not, will have to deliver that service in a non-discriminatory way. This is already a requirement in UK law on three of the grounds covered by the draft directive (religion or belief, disability and sexual orientation) and we are introducing protection from discrimination on the remaining ground (age) in the Equality Bill. The directive will not therefore affect public authorities procuring services from faith groups.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Operating Costs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the cost to the public purse of the Equality and Human Rights Commission has been in each year since its establishment.

Maria Eagle: The costs of the Equality and Human Rights Commission are shown in the annex A: core tables of the Government Equalities Office's annual report and Accounts. More recent forecast outturn data are now available and are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  000 
			  Financial year  Resource  Capital 
			 2007-08 52,915 6,707 
			 2008-09 59,000 1,000

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Operating Costs

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the cost to the public purse of  (a) the Commission for Racial Equality,  (b) the Equal Opportunities Commission and  (c) the Disability Rights Commission was in each of the three years up to October 2007.

Maria Eagle: Outturn for the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) and the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) for the three years up to October 2007 is published in Annex A: core tables of the Government Equalities Office's annual report and accounts 2007-08.
	Final figures for CRE, EOC and DRC are now available for the period 1 April 2007 to 30 September 2007 and are as follows:
	
		
			  1 April 2007 to 30 September 2007 
			  000 
			  Commissions  Resource  Capital 
			 Disability Rights Commission 10,575 -61 
			 Commission for Racial Equality 9,847 0 
			 Equal Opportunities Commission 3,945 -282

Equality Bill

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment has been made of the effect of implementation of the provisions of the Equality Bill on the expenditure of local authorities.

Maria Eagle: The Equality Bill will strengthen and streamline discrimination law. These measures will result in both costs (such as those arising from organisations familiarising themselves with the new legislation) and savings (such as those resulting from the simplification of the legislation).
	The impact of the Equality Bill is set out in the impact assessment published alongside the Bill on 27 April. The impact on the expenditure of local authorities has not been identified separately. For the 22,000 public authorities (which includes the 420 or so local authorities) the impact assessment identifies the following costs and benefits:
	Costs in the first year18.6 million to  52.1 million
	Benefits in the first year12.2 million to 41.4 million
	Recurring costs from year two onwards5.5 million to 39.0 million
	Recurring benefits from year two onwards12.6 million to 42.9 million

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Big Lottery Fund: Empty Property

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to the Big Lottery Fund of empty property business rates on its empty properties recorded on the Government's e-PIMS database was in 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: The Big Lottery Fund has advised that it did not pay empty property business rates on empty properties during 2008-09.

Big Lottery Fund: Travelling People

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 4 March 2008,  Official Report, column 1587W, on the Big Lottery Fund: travelling people, what the purpose of each grant to each organisation was.

Barbara Follett: Pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 4 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1587W, the Big Lottery Fund have advised what the purpose of each grant to support travelling people was. I am arranging for this information to be deposited in the House Library.

BMRB Social Research

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has paid BMRB Social Research in respect of its work in the Taking Part survey in each of the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 12 May 2009
	 The Taking Part survey collects data about people's engagement and non-engagement in culture, leisure and sport, and is a national statistic.
	Taking Part was commissioned in 2005 and is jointly funded (approximately 50:50) by DCMS and four partner bodiesArts Council England, English Heritage, Sport England and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. BMRB Social Research is contracted to conduct the survey fieldwork. Between 2006-07 and 2008-09, DCMS contributed the following levels towards the cost of BMRB Social Research's work:
	
		
			million 
			 2006-07 1.3 
			 2007-08 1.4 
			 2008-09 1.2 
		
	
	In addition to supporting core running costs of the survey, these figures include other expenses such as additional analysis, piloting and questionnaire reviews.

Departmental Complaints

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what procedure his Department follows for dealing with complaints received  (a) by e-mail,  (b) by post,  (c) by telephone and  (d) via his Department's website.

Gerry Sutcliffe: For each of the items above, in most circumstances the team that handled the original issue will review the complaint.
	Many communications into the Department, including complaints, are managed by the Department's public engagement and recognition unit. If a complaint is serious in nature the request will be drawn to the attention of a relevant senior civil servant, up to and including the permanent secretary.
	There are also formal procedures in place within the Department for issues such as the internal review of Freedom of Information requests and the public appointments process, besides the usual array of external complaints and review procedures available via the courts and the parliamentary ombudsman.
	Further details on complaints processes can be found on the DCMS website at:
	www.culture.gov.uk

Departmental Consultants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contracts were awarded by his Department to  (a) KPMG,  (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers,  (c) Ernst and Young,  (d) McKinsey,  (e) Deloitte and  (f) other consultancy firms in each of the last 12 months; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) monetary value of the contract was in each case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Consultancy contracts awarded by the Department (excluding Non-departmental public bodies that we sponsor) in the last 12 months are as follows:
	 (a) KPMG
	Nil
	 (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers
	(i) To provide advice on Olympic Park Sponsorship Strategy; (ii) 9,900;
	(i) To provide advice on the wind Up of Regional Cultural Consortiums; (ii) 55,000;
	(i) To provide commercial, economic and financial analysis in respect of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; (ii) the Department has let this contract under a framework agreement. The Department has incurred 17,478 under this contract for work undertaken to date.
	 (c) Ernst and Young
	(i) To perform due diligence on Sale of Tote; (ii) 825,000.
	 (d) McKinsey
	Nil
	 (e) Deloitte
	(i) To perform an IT Security Review; (ii) 65,525.
	 (f) Other consultancy firms
	 Sports Recruitment International
	(i) Recruitment of specialist sports roles for Government Olympic Executive; (ii) 51,783.
	 PA Consulting
	(i) To provide consultancy on the DCMS Change Programme; (ii) 78,166.
	 Mouchel
	(i) Review of new HR Oracle system; (ii) 3,795.
	 Mills and Reeve
	(i) Legal advice on valuation for temporary use of land in King's Cross by Union Railways; (ii) 10,010.
	 Halliwells
	(i) To provide commercial, economic and financial analysis in respect of London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; (ii) the Department has let this contract under a framework agreement. The Department has incurred 25,938 under this contract for work undertaken to date.
	 Saxton Bampfylde Hever
	(i) Recruitment of new Chair for English Heritage; (ii) 20,700.
	 Food Service Associates (Henley) Ltd.
	(i) Specialist consultancy on re-tender of DCMS catering contract; (ii) 1,495.
	 Norton Rose
	(i) Legal services for advice on Digital Britain project; (ii) 65,000.
	 Group Partners
	(i) Consultancy advice on 2012 delivery strategy; (ii) 25,000.

Departmental Costs

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much staff at Senior Civil Service grades in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency claimed in reimbursable expenses in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 6 May 2009
	 The reimbursable expenses claimed by senior civil service staff in the last 12 months to March 2009 were as listed:
	
		
			
			 DCMS 11,123.16 
			 The Royal Parks Agency 1,456.11 
		
	
	The expenses were reimbursed in accordance with the civil service management code and the Department's guidance on travel and subsistence.

Departmental Furniture

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) Arts Council England,  (b) the Big Lottery Fund,  (c) the Heritage Lottery Fund,  (d) English Heritage,  (e) the Museums and Libraries Archive Council,  (f) Sport England and  (g) UK Sport spent on furniture in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Arts Council England(1) 42,603.00 119,595.00 4,358.00 10,007.00 148,923.78 
			 Big Lottery Fund(2) n/a n/a 101,589.00 39,034.00 34,134.00 
			 Heritage Lottery Fund 30,328.45 25,096.88 28,811.05 15,396.43 14,596.42 
			 English Heritage(3) 351,000 189,000 1,030,000 834,000 795,000 
			 UK Sport(4) n/a n/a 1,666.15 46,297.95 130,374.83 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Arts Council England advise that their 2005-06 data reflects relocation of their South West office, and refurbishment of part of the National Office. Their 2008-09 spend reflects refurbishment of the National Office. (2) The Big Lottery Fund was legally created from the merger of the Community Fund, New Opportunities Fund and Millennium Commission on 1 December 2006, so no data is available prior to 2006-07, which reflects initial spend on existing regional offices, as well as new Birmingham and Newcastle centres. (3) English Heritage advise that 2004-05 spend includes replacing furniture which no longer met Health and Safety requirements, and from 2006-07 onwards includes costs incurred from a programme of relocating posts out of London (responding to Lyons and Gershon reviews), funded by the surrender of their central London lease. (4) UK Sport has advised that data for 2004-05 and 2005-06 is not available (without accessing archived material at disproportionate cost). Their data from 2007-08 and 2008-09 reflects office refurbishment to accommodate additional staff pressure and meet OGC targets for space per person. 
		
	
	The Museums and Libraries Archive Council advise they have no furniture spend for the last five years.
	Sport England advise that their accounting policy does not record assets purchased under 1,000, and have no furniture spend of over 1,000 recorded for the last five years.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department has lost the following since 2005.
	
		
			   BlackBerry lost  Mobile phone lost 
			 2005 0 0 
			 2006 1 0 
			 2007 4 4 
			 2008 0 2 
			 2009 0 1 
		
	
	No device has been lost by a Minister, One BlackBerry was lost by a special adviser and the remaining 11 items have been lost by civil servants.

Departmental Pay

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many members of staff of  (a) the Big Lottery Fund,  (b) the Heritage Lottery Fund,  (c) English Heritage,  (d) Arts Council England,  (e) UK Sport,  (f) the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council and  (g) Sport England received a bonus in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 2 April 2009
	 The organisations listed have provided the data included in the tables. These figures represent bonuses paid in the financial years provided, rather than the year in which the bonuses were earned.
	
		
			  Big Lottery Fund 
			  Financial year  Number of staff receiving bonuses 
			 2005-06 130 
			 2006-07 142 
			 2007-08 379 
		
	
	
		
			  Heritage Lottery Fund 
			  Financial year  Number of staff receiving bonuses 
			 2005-06 32 
			 2006-07 42 
			 2007-08 43 
		
	
	
		
			  English Heritage 
			  Financial year  Number of staff receiving bonuses 
			 2005-06 583 
			 2006-07 730 
			 2007-08 741 
		
	
	
		
			  Arts Council England 
			  Financial year  Number of staff receiving bonuses 
			 2006-07 175 
			 2007-08 195 
			 2008-09 146 
		
	
	
		
			  UK Sport 
			  Financial year  Number of staff receiving bonuses 
			 2005-06 68 
			 2006-07 74 
			 2007-08 89 
		
	
	
		
			  Museums, Libraries and Archives Council 
			  Financial year  Number of staff receiving bonuses 
			 2006-07 4 
			 2007-08 6 
			 2008-09 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Sport England 
			  Financial year  Number of staff receiving bonuses 
			 2005-06 1 
			 2006-07 1 
			 2007-08 0

Domestic Violence

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contribution his Department has made to the cross-Government consultation, Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Children, and to the development of Government policy in this area.

Gerry Sutcliffe: DCMS officials worked closely with the Home Office officials responsible for drafting the consultation document Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Children. DCMS officials will continue to support the development of policy in this area, in particular by participating as members of sexualisation review steering group, which will be established later this month.

Gambling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department provided for problem gambling services in each of the last five years; what estimate he has made of the funding provided for problem gambling services by the gambling industry in each such year; what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of such services; if he will use his powers under the Gambling Act 2005 to ensure that the Responsibility in Gambling Trust receives additional funding to treat adequately any increase in levels of problem gambling; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Problem gambling services in Great Britain are mainly funded by the gambling industry, principally through the Responsibility in Gambling Trust (RIGT). The Government do not fund dedicated problem gambling services, but anybody with a gambling problem who seeks help from the NHS will be offered support and, if necessary, treatment. In the past five years, the industry has contributed the following amounts to RIGT:
	
		
			   Amount () 
			 2008-09 3,556,783 
			 2007-08 3,512,009 
			 2006-07 3,032,689 
			 2005-06 2,274,567 
			 2004-05 2,281,527 
		
	
	I have accepted the recommendations set out in the Gambling Commission's final report on its review of research, education and treatment, published last October, and the industry have made good progress in meeting the minimum 5 million per annum commitments needed to fund three year research, education and treatment programmes. However, I want to make absolutely sure that the right levels of funding have been made available and there is also agreement to the improved voluntary arrangements before I make a formal statement.

Gambling

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will request that the Gambling Commission publish its  (a) assessment of the regulatory risks relevant to each sector of the gambling industry and  (b) methodology for (i) analysis of regulatory risk and (ii) prioritising its allocation of resources to gambling activities in relation to the level of regulatory risk posed by each such activity.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Gambling Commission has advised that details of its approach to risk have already been published. The Gambling Commission is currently consulting on revisions of its statement of principles and its licensing, compliance and enforcement policy statement. Details of the approach to risk and the consultation are available at:
	www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

Gambling

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  which of the recommendations of the Hampton implementation review of the Gambling Commission he plans to accept; and what steps he plans to take to implement those recommendations;
	(2)  what discussions has he had with the Gambling Commission on the implementation of recommendations of the Hampton implementation review of the commission.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Gambling Commission has welcomed the final report and accepted its recommendations. My Department will work with the Gambling Commission on these recommendations, where appropriate, and will monitor its progress as part of the usual process of non-departmental public bodies sponsorship.

Gambling

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to ensure that the Gambling Commission  (a) takes further steps to prioritise its activity according to the regulatory risks relevant to the gambling sector and  (b) adjusts the level of fees it obtains through licensing and certification of the gambling industry to take account of regulatory risks.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Gambling Commission keeps the regulatory risks related to each gambling sector under regular review in order to assess and update its regulatory priorities. The Secretary of State sets licence fees in order to reflect the regulatory costs of different gambling activities to the Commission and issued a consultation on 7 April 2009, seeking views on proposed changes to the regime which reflect the Gambling Commission's latest assessment of regulatory risks and costs.

Gaming Machines

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect on the gaming machine industry of  (a) the proposed increase in stakes and prizes for category C and D machines and  (b) the increase in amusement machine licence duty in the 2009 Budget.

Gerry Sutcliffe: As part of the second public consultation on proposed increases in stake and prizes for category C and D gaming machines, an impact assessment was published on the DCMS website on 22 December 2008. The Department has not made any assessment of the effect on the gaming machine industry of the increase in amusement machine licence duty in the 2009 budget.

Sports: Equality

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many sporting organisations have applied for recognition under the equality standard for sport since November 2004.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England has supported 26 English national governing bodies, all 49 of the county sports partnerships and five national sport organisations including itself to achieve a level of the equality standard since 2004.

Sports: Young People

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase access to sport for young people in  (a) Warrington and  (b) the north-west; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 6 May 2009
	 The PE and School Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP) has seen 90 per cent. of children and young people do at least two hours of sport a week. By 2011 it is the aim to offer five hours of PE and sport for five to 16-year-olds and three hours for those 16-19.
	One of the strategy's workstrands, Sport Unlimited, aims to increase the variety of sporting opportunities for 900,000 semi sporty young people. It is delivered through the network of county sports partnerships and aims to reach 124,350 young people in the north- west, including Warrington, by 2011.
	In addition Sport England has a target of getting one million people doing more sport by 2012-13, which includes those aged 16-25.
	National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) are placed at the heart of Sport England's strategy as it is their networks of community clubs, coaches, officials and volunteers that will drive delivery. The NGBs will define what they need for their sport at a national, regional and sub-regional level to ensure more people play and enjoy their sport. NGBs are currently planning and taking decisions on where best to invest their money, and this includes the north-west.
	In addition to investing in NGBs and other key partners, Sport England has other open funding programmes, worth a maximum of 45 million, to which a wide range of organisations from across England are able to apply. Some of this investment will address particular areas of need; for example the first of a series of themed funding rounds is targeted at rural communities.

Tourism

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has to meet boards of regional development agencies to discuss his Department's joint working with Visit England.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 27 April 2009
	On 29 April 2009 I chaired the inaugural meeting of the Regional Development Agency tourism leads group and discussed regional tourism strategies and economic conditions; sub-regional engagement; skills development; sustainable tourism; and cross-regional policy and resource co-ordination, as well as the role of VisitEngland in co-ordinating and driving progress on tourism development and promotion with them.

Tourism: Standards

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will assess the  (a) case for and  (b) merits of a standardised national classification system for tourist accommodation providers.

Barbara Follett: VisitEngland have advised that research in the enjoy England brand tracking study 2007 showed that over three quarters of consumers (77 per cent.) believe quality schemes are important when choosing accommodation. The established visitor accommodation grading schemes (the star rating schemes) are therefore central to improving the quality of England's tourism product.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport supported work by the cross-Britain quality review group, which included VisitBritain , the Automobile Association, and the devolved national tourist boards, VisitScotland and VisitWales. This review group agreed to adopt uniform common inspection standards across Great Britain in May 2005.
	Implementation of this work began in January 2006 and was completed in 2008. A range of tourist accommodation is assessed and marketed under the national quality accreditation schemes. Since April 2009 VisitEngland have been responsible for this work.

TREASURY

Banks: Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his Department's press notice of 19 January 2009, on the asset protection scheme, 
	(1)  what progress has been made on selecting eligible securities; and what amount of guarantees has been issued;
	(2)  what criteria will be used to determine what proportion of the value of the security will be guaranteed.

Ian Pearson: As announced on 26 February, the Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) agreed in principle to protect 325 billion of assets in the asset protection scheme; and on 7 March Lloyds banking group (Lloyds) agreed in principle to protect 260 billion of assets in the scheme. After the deduction of the first loss (42.2 billion and 35.2 billion respectively) that falls to the participating banks, the Treasury will guarantee 90 per cent. of the remaining value (at 31 December 2008) of the covered assets.
	The Treasury and its advisers are continuing to work with participating banks to conduct due diligence on the assets intended for inclusion in the scheme.
	Further detailed information will be provided after the final contracts are signed.

Business: Finance

Jo Swinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps the Government has taken to encourage banks recapitalised from the public purse to pass on recent reductions in the Bank of England base rate when lending to small and medium-sized businesses;
	(2)  what recent steps the Government has taken to ensure that the terms and conditions placed on loans to small and medium-sized businesses by banks recapitalised from the public purse are reasonable.

Ian Pearson: Decisions concerning products and pricing remain commercial decisions for firms. Where there is public sector investment in financial institutions these stakes are being managed on an arm's length and independent basis.
	The Government are taking action to ensure competitively priced loans continue to be available. On 19 January, the Government announced measures to reinforce the stability of the financial system, increase confidence and capacity to lend, and support the recovery of the economy. These measures build on those announced on 8 October 2008. The Government have agreed lending commitments with Lloyds and RBS that will see Lloyds lend an additional 14 billion, and RBS an additional 25 billion, on commercial terms and subject to market demand, over the 12 months from March 2009. The commitments are specific, quantified and legally binding. HM Treasury will report annually to Parliament on the delivery of these agreements.

Council Tax: Valuation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 19 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1072, on council tax: valuation, when the sub-locations were last updated by the Valuation Office Agency.

Stephen Timms: Sub-location codes were last reviewed between April and December 2007, in preparation for the 2010 revaluation of non-domestic properties. Otherwise routine updates are made on a continuing basis.

Departmental Buildings

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on building maintenance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply my hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for Ilford, North (Mr. Scott) on 20 January 2009,  Official Report, column 1292W.

Departmental Dismissal

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of staff in his Department and its agencies were dismissed  (a) for under-performance and  (b) in total in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Timms: Treasury systems do not record the reasons for dismissals centrally. It is the Treasury's policy not to release data on staff where to do so could lead to the identification of individuals, including aggregated data relating to fewer than five staff members. Data for HM Treasury is not available for years prior to 2000.
	HM Treasury has a policy in place to manage under-performance and, where necessary, take disciplinary action, which can lead to dismissal.
	In each of the years for which data is available:
	HM Treasury dismissed fewer than five staff;
	The Office of Government Commerce (including Buying Solutions) dismissed fewer than five staff;
	The UK Debt Management Office did not dismiss any staff.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the  (a) energy consumed by,  (b) energy cost of and  (c) carbon dioxide emissions from each category of IT device in each division of his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps his Department has taken to address the effect on levels of carbon dioxide emissions from his Department of its ICT purchases since the publication of the Greening Government ICT strategy; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the average server capacity utilisation by each division of his Department was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many  (a) printers and  (b) multi-function devices with printing functions were in use in each division of his Department in each of the last five years; how many such devices had a function enabling two-sided printing; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  how many and what proportion of IT products in each category procured for each division of his Department were compliant with the Government's Buy Sustainable-Quick Win standard in the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to reduce the levels of carbon dioxide emissions arising from the operation of ICT systems in his Department under the Greening Government ICT strategy.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury is committed to reducing emissions arising from operations and aims to deliver year-on-year reductions. Its chief information officer (CIO), in line with all other members of the CIO Council, has produced a CIO Green ICT Roadmap which the Treasury will be following to deliver against the 18 target improvement areas outlined in the Greening Government ICT strategy in July 2008.
	A full report of the CIO Council Green ICT Roadmaps will be made available shortly featuring the action plans of all Departments involved in the Council against the 18 steps. A final one year on report will be issued by the Cabinet Office in July. The CIO/CTO Council Green ICT delivery unit will refresh its annual CIO key objectives against the latest developments in technology and advances in carbon measurement which will be circulated for comment to all CIOs and relevant Departments this summer.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) BlackBerry devices and  (b) mobile telephones have been lost by (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005.

Ian Pearson: For the data on lost BlackBerry devices and mobile telephones, I refer the hon. Member to some previous answers provided as follows:
	17 March 2009,  Official Report, column 984W, to the hon. Member for Glasgow, East (John Mason).
	5 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2580W, to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir).
	5 March 2008,  Official Report, column 2578W, to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather).
	Disaggregated information relating to Ministers, special advisers and civil servants is not available.
	Prior to 2008, data for BlackBerry devices were included within the data shown as PDAs or Personal Organisers, and cannot now be identified separately other than at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Stationery

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on the purchase of  (a) recycled office supplies in the last 12 months and  (b) printer ink cartridges in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what proportion of office supplies purchased by his Department were recycled products in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury is fully committed to making procurement sustainable and has a policy of using the Sustainable procurement quick wins wherever possible. However:
	 (a) It is not possible to identify how much the Treasury has spent on, or what proportion were, specifically recycled office supplies from other green products.
	 (b) The Treasury pays for a fully managed printer service, which includes the provision of printer ink cartridges. It is not possible to separate the amount spent on ink cartridges from the total cost of the managed service.

Departmental Training

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department has spent on IT training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: HM Treasury systems do not record centrally all details of IT training attended by staff, as this is delegated to individual teams. The following data on the cost of centrally organised training since 2005-06 is available. 2007-08 HM Treasury revised its contracts for the external provision of IT training to ensure better value for money.
	
		
			
			 2005-06 27,695 
			 2006-07 28,153 
			 2007-08 12,855 
			 2008-09 8,600 
		
	
	In addition, HM Treasury has an in-house IT trainer who delivers induction for internal computer systems to all new starters.

Gaming

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue was generated from remote gaming duty in 2008-09.

Angela Eagle: HM Revenue and Customs is not currently able to publish a breakdown of remote gaming duty while maintaining taxpayer confidentiality.

Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander: Isle of Man

Alan Beith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has discussed with the Isle of Man Government the provision of a Treasury loan secured against the assets of Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander frozen by the Government in order to enable UK depositors in Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander (Isle of Man) to access their deposited funds.

Ian Pearson: On 8 October, the Treasury made Landsbanki Freezing Order 2008 in order to freeze funds and financial assets relating to Landsbanki. Landsbanki is the only Icelandic bank which has been made the subject of a freezing order. Assets in Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander have not been frozen by the UK Government.
	Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
	Arrangements for depositors in banks in the Isle of Man are a matter for the Government of the Isle of Man. Deposits with Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander, Isle of Man, will be subject to the Isle of Man deposit compensation scheme. This matter was discussed at the Treasury Select Committee on 3 February with representatives of the Isle of Man Government.

Landsbanki: Guernsey

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made representations to the Guernsey authorities with a view to providing a loan to progress payments to depositors affected by the collapse of Landsbanki Guernsey.

Ian Pearson: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
	Arrangements for depositors in banks in Guernsey are a matter for the Government of Guernsey.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire of 19 February 2009, on company directors (PO Ref: 1/67667/2009).

Ian Pearson: holding answer 11 May 2009
	A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the hon. Member for Totnes' letters of 3 March and 21 April 2009 on Mr. Ian Bramble of Kingsbridge, regarding Mr Bramble's concerns as a financial adviser.

Ian Pearson: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.

Members: Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, column 420W, on hon. Members: correspondence, what the reasons are for the time taken to respond to the correspondence; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The volume of correspondence has risen significantly over the last 12 months and it is regretted that this has resulted in replies to some correspondence being delayed. HM Treasury is taking action to help minimise the effects on service delivery times.

Public Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to publish his Department's factual paper on the operation of the Barnett formula.

Yvette Cooper: No date has yet been decided for the publication of the factual paper on the Barnett formula.

Taxation: Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue accrued to the Exchequer from  (a) stamp duty land tax and  (b) housing sector corporation tax in each year since 1997.

Ian Pearson: Exchequer receipts from stamp duty land tax between 2001-02 and 2007-08, the latest year for which figures are available, are given at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/tablel5-1.xls
	Figures for earlier years up to 1999-2000 are given in the publication Inland Revenue Statistics 2000, which is available in the House of Commons Library.
	Receipts for 2000-01 are not available from either of these sources. Receipts from stamp duty land tax in 2000-01 amounted to 4.1 billion.
	It is not possible to estimate corporation tax receipts for the housing sector.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Janet Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps HM Revenue and Customs is taking to rectify the system fault which has affected its on-line tax return system; for how long he expects the system to be unavailable; what estimate he has made of the number of applications for tax rebates which will take longer to process as a result of the fault; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 12 May 2009
	In April 2009 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) identified an accounting issue which affected some customers who had submitted 2008-09 self-assessment tax returns (paper as well as online). As a consequence, from 20 April to 2 May 2009 HMRC suspended processing all Tax Returns onto their back-end systems to ensure customers did not receive incorrect calculations and statements. The issue was rectified on 1 May 2009 and HMRC resumed processing on 2 May 2009. Any resulting repayments have been made in accordance with normal processes.
	During this period customers were still able to file their online and paper tax returns. Between 20 April 2009 and 2 May 2009 the self-assessment online service was fully available apart for a period of 10 hours of planned downtime on 29 April 2009.

Valuation Office: Equality

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Valuation Office Agency has spent on diversity and equality courses for its staff at the National School of Government in the last 12 months; and how many staff have attended such courses in that period.

Stephen Timms: No Valuation Office Agency staff have attended such courses at the National School of Government in the last 12 months.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Overseas Aid

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent audit he has made of the value for money being achieved by his Department's expenditure on overseas aid.

Michael Foster: The Government are committed to maximising the impact of UK aid. DFID assesses the value for money of its projects and programmes each quarter and aims to improve value for money of its projects by 66 million over the comprehensive spending review period.
	DFID has a rigorous system of evaluation and makes full use of value for money audits carried out by National Audit Office.

Overseas Aid

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how much his Department allocated to civilian aid to Afghanistan between 1997 and 2008;
	(2)  how much his Department allocated to civilian aid to Iraq between 1997 and 2008;
	(3)  how much his Department allocated to civilian aid to  (a) Israel and  (b) Palestine between 1997 and 2008.

Michael Foster: All of the Department for International Development's (DFID) development assistance has the purpose of reducing poverty in the civilian populations of the countries in which it is provided.
	Details of the UK's bilateral expenditure and imputed share of multilateral official development assistance (ODA) are contained in the DFID publication Statistics on International Development. This publication is available in the Library of the House and online at
	www.dfid.gov.uk.

Afghanistan

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent assessment is of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The UK Government have committed 22.5 million since January 2008 to support those in Afghanistan worst affected by the high food prices and drought.
	17 million of this was channelled through emergency appeals led by the UN World Food Programme (WFP). These reach 8.7 million people, and the WFP assess that there is sufficient food to stabilise supply from the current harvest onwards.

Afghanistan

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's spending through the UN Development Programme in Afghanistan.

Douglas Alexander: The UNDP is an important partner for the Department for International Development in Afghanistan, providing expertise in areas such as voter registration and support for the democratic elections. The Department's funding has helped to ensure the success of the voter registration process. It also helped to launch the Afghanistan national development strategy, which unites the Governments of Afghanistan and the UK, and other partner Governments, behind a common vision to help to build a new Afghanistan.

Gaza

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent support his Department has provided to charities and other non-governmental organisations working in Gaza.

Michael Foster: In response to the recent Gaza crisis, my Department has pledged close to 47 million to assist with humanitarian relief and early recovery. Of this, nearly 7 million has already been allocated to non-governmental organisations. A further 12.8 million has been allocated to United Nations agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Gaza

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made on the delivery of assistance for reconstruction in Gaza; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: In response to the recent Gaza crisis, the UK Government have committed nearly 20 million to United Nations agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and a number of non-governmental organisations to address urgent humanitarian and early recovery activities. This has included removing rubble, clearing unexploded ordnance and supporting cash for work schemes.
	However, meaningful progress on reconstruction will not be possible without the opening of the crossings into Gaza to allow materials and personnel to enter. The UK Government are continuing to press the Government of Israel on this issue.

Gaza

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent assessment is of the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Michael Foster: The humanitarian situation in Gaza has stabilised since the ceasefire. However, the situation remains extremely concerning. Over 15,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged during the crisis and over 30,000 homes sustained some damage. Approximately 32,000 people are without piped water, and a further 100,000 only receive water supplies every 2-3 days.
	Success of the response effort will be dependent upon opening of the crossings in order to allow movement of materials and personnel into Gaza. The UK Government are continuing to press the Government of Israel on this issue.

Algeria

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is providing to refugees from the Western Sahara in refugee camps in Algeria.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports Western Saharan refugees through its 17 per cent. share of the budget of the European Community Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) and its 19 million core contributions to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), for its work with refugees across the world. In 2008, ECHO committed to provide 10 million to support Western Saharan refugees, while UNHCR spent $3.1 million in their support.

Development Aid

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he takes into account the level of military spending by a country in assessing its eligibility for development aid from his Department.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development's (DFID) policy is to give funding only to those Governments who share our commitment to (i) poverty reduction and achieving the millennium development goals, (ii) human rights and other international obligations and (iii) improving public financial management and accountability. Our assessment of each Government's commitment is country-specific and covers a wide range of issues. Where relevant, the level of military spending may be one factor. In countries where we decide not to provide funding to the Government, we may provide aid through other channels such as multilateral donors or non-governmental organisations.

St. Helena Airport

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the effect on his Department's aid budget in the long term of the construction of an airport on St. Helena.

Michael Foster: The 2005 atkins feasibility study concluded that, without an airport, St. Helena will remain dependent on UK budgetary aid indefinitely. The study predicted that with the introduction of air access and development of the island's tourism industry, the need for financial support would reduce progressively with the increasing potential for St. Helena to become self sufficient in the long term.

Good Governance

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of his Department's budget for 2009-10 is planned to be spent on promoting good governance in the developing world.

Ivan Lewis: Support for good governance is central to the work of the Department for International Development (DFID). Twenty two per cent. of DFID's total spend in 2007-08, including that provided through multilateral partners such as the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme, was aimed at improving governance in developing countries. This included developing the capacity and accountability of institutions, such as parliaments and bureaucracies, to function and deliver effectively, as well as supporting civil society to hold governments to account and voice its concerns. We estimate that 23 per cent. of total spend in 2008-09 was similarly aimed and we expect this trend to continue.

Departmental Furniture

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on furniture in each of the last five years.

Michael Foster: It is not possible to provide expenditure figures for furniture without incurring disproportionate cost. All furniture expenditure is incurred in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles of managing public money and the Treasury handbook on regularity and propriety.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on hospitality and entertainment in each of the last five years.

Michael Foster: It is not possible to provide expenditure figures for hospitality and entertainment without incurring disproportionate cost. All such costs are made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles of managing public money and the Treasury handbook on regularity and propriety.

Departmental Stationery

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on branded stationery and gifts for  (a) internal and  (b) external promotional use in each of the last five years.

Michael Foster: This information is not held centrally, and would incur disproportionate costs to disaggregate from overall programme costs.

Yemen: Asylum

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what humanitarian aid his Department is providing to Somali and Ethiopian refugees in Yemen.

Michael Foster: The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is the lead agency in Yemen for supporting Somali and Ethiopian refugees. UNHCR reports that 2008 saw a significant rise in the annual number of refugees arriving in Yemen: up by 70 per cent. to 50,091 during the year. DFID provides core funding of 19 million per year to UNHCR to assist refugees and internally displaced people. Some of that funding will have an impact on UNHCR's activities in Yemen to support Somali and Ethiopian refugees, as well as vulnerable Yemeni internally displaced persons.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Children: Maintenance

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many  (a) complaints and  (b) other representations his Department has received on the actions of bailiffs in the pursuit of child support arrears in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how much has been paid to bailiffs in fees and charges by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission and its predecessor for the pursuit of child support arrears in the last 12 months;
	(3)  how many licensed bailiffs are engaged by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission for the pursuit of child support arrears.

Kitty Ussher: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about child maintenance, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as child support is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance Enforcement Commission.
	;
	; and
	How many licensed bailiffs are engaged by the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission for the pursuit of child support arrears.
	The Commission currently has contractual arrangements with three bailiff companies. In the 12 months to the end of March 2009, bailiff action resulted in the collection of over 8.9 million in child maintenance arrears, and the Commission paid a total of 1.4 million for this service.
	All bailiff firms, including those contracted to the Agency, must comply with the National Standards for Enforcement Agents, a set of common standards produced by the Government as a code of practice. The licensed bailiffs, who work specifically on Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission cases, fall under the management of the bailiff companies who will deal with any complaints made to them. Information on the number of complaints made to the Commission about the action of bailiffs in collecting child support arrears is not available.
	I am sorry on this occasion I could not be more helpful.

Departmental Manpower

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff work in the System Information and Assurance Group in his Department.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department's information security committee (a sub-committee of the Department's executive Team) is responsible for information security issues across the Department. Operational responsibility for security is assigned to respective chief executives and heads of businesses within the Department. Other senior staff in the Department's agencies have specific responsibilities for promoting data and IT system security and report to their respective chief executives. The Department does not have a system information and assurance group.
	Following the publication of the Cabinet Office's review of data handling procedures in Government, specific senior civil servants across the Department have been designated as information asset owners who provide assurance to the Department's senior information risk owner that data assets are properly protected.
	The Department also deploys a range of internal and external professional security resources and suppliers to both deliver and assure its IT Infrastructure and systems.
	The Department does not publish details of the resources used to provide assurance over IT system security, staff or otherwise, as this could potentially threaten the security of information.

Departmental Telephone Services

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time was for which telephone callers to his Department's helplines spent in a queue in the latest period for which information is available.

Tony McNulty: Waiting time will vary significantly between days of the week and across the day depending on the type of benefit and query. Complex calls involving the longest handling times will usually incur the longest wait time at busiest periods.
	
		
			  DWP Help line  Line type  Average response time minutes and seconds. 
			 Pension Credit Application Line 0800 1.18 
			 State Pension Application Line 0800 1.11 
			 Benefit Enquiry Line 0800 0.24 
			 General Enquiries 0845 0.56 
			 Future Pensions 0845 0.47 
			 International Pensions 0845 0.37 
			 Disability Living Allowance 0845 1.37 
			 Carer's Allowance Various STD 1.12 
			 Crisis Loans 0800 9.11 
			 Employment Support Allowance 0845 2.35 
			 Incapacity Benefit 0845 0.55 
			 Income Support 0845 1.15 
			 Jobseekers Allowance 0845 2.12 
			 Maternity Allowance 0845 1.59 
			 Social Fund 0845 0.27 
			 Jobseeker Direct 0845 0.57 
			 First Contact 0800 1.53 
			 Employer Direct 0845 0.33 
			 NINO Allocations 0845 0.38 
			 Crisis Loan Contingency 0800 3.09 
			 Crisis Loan Decision 0800 8.34 
			 National Benefit Fraud Hotline 0800 0.6 
			 Tax Evasion Hotline 0800 0.9 
			 Debt Management 0845 0.8 
		
	
	The above table shows the lines dealing with Crisis Loans as incurring the longest waiting times. Jobcentre Plus has a national recovery plan in place and is taking several measures to address this.

Housing Benefit: Fraud

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many completed cases in which the defendant or defendants were accused of housing benefit fraud were brought to court in each of the last three years; how many prosecutions were successful; and what the average fine paid by a guilty party was in each such year.

Kitty Ussher: Information available for Great Britain for the last three years for which data are available is provided in the table.
	
		
			   Number of prosecutions  Number of guilty verdicts 
			 2005-06 7,717 6,234 
			 2006-07 6,023 5,860 
			 2007-08 6,611 6,493 
			  Source: Housing Operational Database located at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hobod/ 
		
	
	The Department does not hold the information requested on fines paid by guilty parties following a prosecution for housing benefit.

Jobcentre Plus: English Language

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to offer translations of job vacancies advertised at Jobcentre Plus offices which are written in European languages other than English; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 28 April 2009
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Ruth Owen:
	The Secretary of State has asked Mel Groves to reply direct to your question asking what steps his Department is taking to offer translations of job vacancies advertised at Jobcentre Plus offices which are written in European languages other than English. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to Mel Groves as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus. As Mel Groves is currently unavailable, I am replying in his absence.
	Jobcentre Plus is a member of the European Employment Services (EURES) network, which means that we are notified of vacancies across the European Economic Area (EEA). These vacancies can be searched and viewed in Jobcentre Plus offices because of the link between the Jobcentre Plus and EURES websites. The purpose of the link is to give Jobcentre Plus customers a wider pool of vacancies to search from and to help address areas of skill shortage across the EEA.
	The vacancies have been notified to the public employment services of the individual countries in the EEA and Jobcentre Plus is not responsible for their content. This is clearly stated on the vacancies in a disclaimer which reads as follows: This vacancy has been notified by a public employment service outside Great Britain. You should carefully check the terms and conditions of employment before taking up any job offer. Jobcentre Plus is not responsible for the content of this vacancy.
	Employers in other EEA countries expect applicants for their vacancies to be able to speak and understand their language. Similarly Jobcentre Plus vacancies appear in the English language when viewed in other EEA countries. As a result, there are no plans to translate these vacancies.

Jobcentre Plus: Pay

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) salaries,  (b) pension benefits and  (c) bonuses have been received by each member of the Jobcentre Plus board of management in each year since 2002.

Tony McNulty: The available information can be obtained from the Jobcentre Plus annual report and accounts for each year, copies of which have been placed in the Library.

Jobcentre Plus: Vocational Training

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many customers were referred for skills training by Jobcentre Plus  (a) in each year since 2002 and  (b) each of the last 24 months in each (i) region and (ii) Jobcentre Plus district.

Tony McNulty: The information is not collated centrally due to the extensive range of training, both in-house and delivered by external partners.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people he forecasts will be claiming contribution-based jobseeker's allowance in each of the next three years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 23 March 2009
	The Government set out their assessment of prospects for the economy in the Financial Statement and Budget Report. As has been the practice of previous Governments, we do not publish an official forecast for claimant unemployment, whether in total or separately for the contributory, income-based and credits-only sections of the caseload.
	For the purposes of the public finance projections the Treasury uses a planning assumption for the level of the UK claimant count in each year. This assumption is based on independent forecasts, and is audited by the independent National Audit Office. The numbers within this assumption which are assumed to be contributory cases are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of claimants to c ontributory j obseeker's allowance 
			 2009-10 304,000 
			 2010-11 378,000 
			  Notes: 1. The figures quoted above relate to JSA claimants in Great Britain. They are rounded to the nearest thousand claimants. 2. These figures are the average number of claimants over the financial years shown. 3. The figures quoted in the Budget and pre-Budget reports are for seasonally adjusted claimant unemployment in the UK. This is a cautious assumption based on the average of external forecasts and is not the Treasury's economic forecast. 4. The Budget report 2009 can be found at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/bud_bud09_repindex.htm The latest assumption can be found on page 221 (box C1).

Jobseeker's Allowance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the population is claiming jobseeker's allowance in  (a) the UK and  (b) Romford constituency.

Tony McNulty: Latest figures show that 4.0 per cent. of the UK working age population and 3.7 per cent. of the Romford working age population are claiming jobseeker's allowance.
	 Notes
	1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	2. Data is published at:
	https://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	3. Data includes clerical cases.
	4. The percentage of the population is calculated using the latest ONS mid-year population estimates. These are from 2007 for the UK and 2006 for Romford parliamentary constituency.
	 Source
	100 per cent. count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus Computer Systems.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the working age population in  (a) the UK,  (b) Northampton and  (c) Kettering constituency is claiming jobseeker's allowance.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 8 May 2009
	The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Jobseeker's allowance claimants in the UK, Northampton local authority and Kettering parliamentary constituency as a proportion of the working age population, March 2009 
			   Percentage 
			 United Kingdom 4.0 
			 Northampton local authority 4.9 
			 Kettering parliamentary constituency 3.8 
			  Notes: 1. UK and local authority population estimates are taken from the ONS 2007 mid-year population statistics. 2. Parliamentary constituency population figures are ONS experimental mid-2007 population estimates. (The methodology used to produce these parliamentary constituency estimates is subject to further review). 3. Working age is classified as females aged 16 to 59 and males aged 16 to 64. 4. Figures include clerically held cases. 5. Percentages are rounded to the nearest one decimal place.  Source:  100 per cent. count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus Computer Systems.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of young people in  (a) West Chelmsford constituency and  (b) Chelmsford local authority area claimed jobseeker's allowance in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: Information for West Chelmsford parliamentary constituency is not available.
	Information for Chelmsford local authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Proportion of young people aged 18-24 in Chelmsford local authority area claiming jobseeker's allowance 
			  As at March each year  Percentage 
			 2000 2.7 
			 2001 1.9 
			 2002 2.1 
			 2003 2.0 
			 2004 2.5 
			 2005 2.3 
			 2006 3.0 
			 2007 3.1 
			 2008 2.4 
			 2009 5.7 
			  Notes: 1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. 2. Data are published at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk 3. Figures exclude clerical cases. 4. Population estimates are taken from the ONS mid year population statistics for the relevant year except the years 2008 and 2009 which are based on the 2007 estimate.  Source: 100 per cent. count of claimants of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus Computer Systems.

Local Housing Allowance

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what expenditure his Department incurred on the local housing allowance pilot scheme in each of the years in which it was operational.

Kitty Ussher: The local housing allowance was tested in pilot local authorities prior to national roll-out. There were nine pilot authorities in 2004-05, and 18 from 2005-06.
	The total benefit expenditure (AME) on the local housing allowance pilot scheme in each of the years in which it was operational are in the table.
	
		
			  Total benefit expenditure on the local housing allowance pilots per year 
			  Great Britain   million 
			 2004-05 199 
			 2005-06 332 
			 2006-07 379 
			 2007-08 422 
			  Note: Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest  million.  Source: Data obtained from audited final subsidy claims, with the exception of Norwich's 2007-08 data, which is obtained from the pre-audit claim (the audited claim has not yet been submitted). 
		
	
	Information on the total administration costs (DEL) of each of the pilot areas is not available. Pilot local authorities received funding based on what it was reasonably expected to cost them in administering the local housing allowance.
	All pilot areas received additional funding to implement the local housing allowance, run the pilot project, contribute to the evaluation activity and procure the necessary software. Information on the level of this additional funding for each year the pilot was in operation is in the table.
	
		
			  Additional administrative expenditure on the local housing allowance pilots per year 
			  Great Britain   million 
			 2003-04 2 
			 2004-05 3 
			 2005-06 4 
			 2006-07 2 
			 2007-08 2 
			  Notes: 1. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest  million. 2. Figures for 2003-04 relate only to the nine Pathfinder areas while figures from 2004-05 relate to all 18 pilot areas.  Source: DWP Payment Schedules

National Insurance: EU Nationals

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many national insurance numbers were issued in Peterborough to citizens of EU member states other than the UK in each month since May 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 20 April 2009
	The available information regarding the number of national insurance numbers issued to adult citizens of other EU member states in Peterborough is in the following table.
	
		
			  Registrations for national insurance numbers to citizens of the European Unionother than the UK (Includes EU Accession States) in the Peterborough parliamentary constituency 
			  Year of registration  Number of registrations 
			 2004-05 2,350 
			 2005-06 3,630 
			 2006-07 3,460 
			 2007-08 3,520 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are displayed in thousands. Some additional disclosure control has been applied. 2. Registration date is derived from the date at which a national insurance number is maintained on the National Insurance Recording System. 3. Improvements have been made to the allocation of migrants whose residential address is incomplete. Figures reflect the best estimate of an overseas national's locality at the time of registering for a NINO. 4. Data for 2008-09 is incomplete and shows that in the six months April to September 2008 there were 1,680 NINO registrations issued to citizens of EU member states living in Peterborough. 5. This data is published at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/tabtool.asp 6. The data we hold on national insurance number registrations for adult foreign nationals are only available annually.  Source: 100 per cent. extract from National Insurance Recording System

Pension Credit: Hendon

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Hendon constituency receive  (a) pension credit and  (b) guarantee credit; and what the average amount paid to such individuals under each scheme has been to date in 2009.

Rosie Winterton: The answer is in the following table:
	
		
			  Household recipients and average weekly amounts of pension credit by typeNovember 2003 to August 2008 in Hendon 
			   Pension credit  Average weekly amount  ()  Guarantee Credit only  Average weekly amount guarantee credit onl y  ()  Guarantee credit and savings credit  Average weekly amount guarantee credit and savings credit  ()  Savings credit only  Average weekly amount savings credit only  () 
			 November 2003 3,430 62.38 1,990 84.42 1,250 35.30 180 9.08 
			 November 2004 4,150 61.35 2,150 89.71 1,470 38.56 530 9.58 
			 November 2005 4,360 64.98 2,330 93.37 1,470 40.93 560 10.51 
			 November 2006 4,380 69.40 2,370 98.04 1,480 44.05 530 12.06 
			 November 2007 4,350 73.13 2,420 101.51 1,430 46.15 500 13.10 
			 August 2008 4,330 77.22 2,520 104.94 1,330 47.75 480 13.33 
			  Notes: 1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. 3. People can receive guarantee credit only, guarantee credit and savings credit, or savings credit only. 4. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

Rover Group: Pensions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will meet a delegation of ex-Rover employees to discuss the Rover pension scheme.

Rosie Winterton: I met the hon. Member in March to discuss the position of a number of individuals, including members of the Rover pension schemes, who took early retirement before the relevant scheme entered the pension protection fund (PPF).
	PPF compensation payable to scheme members who are under the scheme's normal pension age when the sponsoring employer becomes insolvent is subject to the compensation cap. The compensation cap affects compensation payable to active and deferred members and those who take early retirement and remain under normal pension age at the point of insolvency unless that early retirement was on the grounds of ill health.
	The cap ensures consistent treatment, based on age, relative to the trigger point for entry to the PPF. It also ensures that people who are able to take early retirement before the insolvency event are not placed in a more beneficial position than people who stay in employment.
	A person who takes early retirement before the PPF becomes involved with the scheme is not treated any less favourably than a person under normal pension age who did not take early retirement. Both are eligible for the 90 per cent. level of compensation and both are subject to the compensation cap. While both will have the cap actuarially reduced if they draw compensation before age 65 the person who took early retirement before the PPF became involved could have had a number of years where they were in receipt of their pension at full rate and the PPF does not recover those amounts.
	After careful consideration the Government has decided not to make any changes. We realise that this decision will be a disappointment for some people. Any change could impose extra costs and we need to bear in mind not only those people who receive PPF compensation but also those people who pay the PPF levy to enable that compensation to be paid.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the level of savings to the public purse which would result from the compulsory treatment of drug addicts and alcoholics in each of the next six financial years.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not currently available. We will pilot the new approach in a limited number of districts and evaluate carefully. This process will then inform future plans.

Social Security Benefits: Eligibility

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effects of payments received by individuals as the result of successful claims on  (a) income protection insurance policies,  (b) standalone payment protection insurance policies and  (c) accident, sickness or unemployment policies on the entitlement of those individuals to a means-tested state benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Monies received from income protection, standalone payment protection and accident, sickness or unemployment policies are taken into account when calculating entitlement to the working age means tested benefits. In certain circumstances payments intended to cover housing costs, credit or hire-purchase agreements may be disregarded.
	State pension credit, which is for a different type of client group, allows these types of payments to be disregarded.

State Retirement Pensions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on state retirement pensions in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The information is in the table. Total state pensions expenditure figures include contributory basic state pension, non-contributory basic state pension and additional state pension.
	
		
			  Total expenditure on state pensions 
			   million 
			   Nominal terms  2009-10 prices 
			 1997-98 33,586 44,069 
			 1998-99 35,603 45,744 
			 1999-2000 37,802 47,633 
			 2000-01 38,745 48,188 
			 2001-02 41,922 51,002 
			 2002-03 44,367 52,292 
			 2003-04 46,506 53,294 
			 2004-05 48,802 54,444 
			 2005-06 51,422 56,216 
			 2006-07 53,663 57,103 
			 2007-08 57,593 59,623 
			 2008-09 61,632 62,249 
			  Notes: 1. All figures to 2007-08 are out-turn, figures for 2008-09 are our latest estimates 2. Figures are consistent with the Budget 2009 report and have been rounded to the nearest  million. 3. Basic state pension expenditure includes graduated retirement pension. Additional state pension expenditure relates to the SERPS (state earnings-related pension scheme and the state second pension and includes lump sum payments made to pensioners who have deferred claiming their state pension. The state second pension began on 6 April 2002. 4. Real terms expenditure figures have been calculated using gross domestic product deflators updated after the 2009 Budget report on 22 April 2009 and published on the HM Treasury website. 5. Figures presented are also available on the DWP website through the following link: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp  Source: DWP accounting data.

Winter Fuel Payments

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cold weather payments were made to households in West Chelmsford constituency in each of the last five years.

Kitty Ussher: In each of the years 2004-05 to 2007-08, no cold weather payments were made to households in West Chelmsford constituency. In 2008-09, cold weather payments were triggered three times for West Chelmsford constituency, but an estimate of the total number of payments made is not available, by constituency, only by weather station.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Departmental Buildings

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on building maintenance in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Since April 2004, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessor has spent the following amounts on building maintenance on our four headquarter sites in London, Sheffield, Darlington and Runcorn:
	
		
			
			 2004-05 2,254,511 
			 2005-06 2,031,004 
			 2006-07 1,788,435 
			 2007-08 1,903,001 
			 2008-09 1,876.348 
			 Total 9,853,299

Education: Assessments

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if his Department will bring forward plans to create a single unified examination board.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There are no plans to create a single awarding body. Ofqual recognises a number of different awarding bodies which offer GCSEs, A-levels, diplomas and other qualifications. This ensures teachers have choice and flexibility about the qualifications that are most suitable for their students.
	Qualifications offered by independent organisations with, for example, links to universities are more likely to be credible and respected. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learners Bill currently before Parliament would ensure that Ofqual has the powers to ensure maintenance of standards by and between the different awarding bodies.

Education: Expenditure

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of gross domestic product the Government have spent on education in each of the last 15 years.

Jim Knight: Details of expenditure as a proportion of GDP for the financial year 2008/09 are not yet available. Figures for the financial years 1993/94 to 2007/08, as published in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2008 are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   Percentage of GDP 
			 1993/94 5.1 
			 1994/95 5.0 
			 1995/96 4.9 
			 1996/97 4.7 
			 1997/98 4.5 
			 1998/99 4.4 
			 1999/2000 4.4 
			 2000/01 4.6 
			 2001/02 4.9 
			 2002/03 4.9 
			 2003/04 5.2 
			 2004/05 5.3 
			 2005/06 5.4 
			 2006/07 5.3 
			 2007/08 5.4 
		
	
	Figures taken from the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2008, published 21 April 2008.

GCE A-level

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils were entered for A-level examinations  (a) including equivalents and  (b) excluding equivalents in each (i) local authority, (ii) constituency and (iii) area classified by decile of deprivation in the last year for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The requested information will be placed in the House Libraries. Further information by local authority and income deprivation affecting children index decile is published by the Department in table 9 and 13 of the Statistical First Release 'GCEA/CE/Applied A/AS and Equivalent Results in England, 2007/08 (Revised)':
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000827/index.shtml

GCSE: Disadvantaged

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of pupils receiving free school meals gained five A* to C grade GCSEs including English and mathematics but excluding equivalents in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The information available is given in the following table. Figures for those achieving five A*-C grades including English and mathematics and including equivalents are also presented.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Proportion eligible for FSM gaining 5+ A*-C GCSEs including English and mathematics 
			   Excluding equivalents  Including equivalents 
			 2008 21.3 23.5 
			 2007 19.7 21.1 
			 2006 18.4 19.5 
			 2005 17.3 18.0 
			 2004 15.7 16.1 
			 2003 15.5 16.0 
			  Notes: 1. Figures relate to pupils in maintained schools only. 2. Figures for 2003 and 2004 relate to pupils aged 15. Figures from 2005 to 2008 relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4. 3. Figures prior to 2003 are not available. 4. Only achievements in full GCSEs are counted in the 'excluding equivalents' column.  Source: National Pupil Database

Pupils: Absenteeism

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many days of unauthorised absence were recorded in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in West Chelmsford constituency in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information is not available in the form requested. The available information on the number of days of unauthorised absence in Essex local authority for the last five years is shown in the table. To provide data at constituency level would incur disproportionate cost.
	Absence data are normally reported in terms of sessions. There are two sessions per day.
	
		
			  Primary and secondary schools( 1,2)  number of days of unauthorised absence 2003/04 to 2007/08Essex local authority 
			   Primary( 1)  Secondary( 1,2) 
			 2007/08 64,270 153,040 
			 2006/07 63,790 164,500 
			 2005/06 (3)52,720 155,880 
			 2004/05 (3)48,330 (3)136,200 
			 2003/04 (3)54,400 (3)127,390 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Figures have been sourced from the Absence in Schools Survey. Other figures are derived from School Census returns.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10  Source: Absence in School Survey and School Census (3)

School Milk

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make dairy products other than milk eligible for distribution under the school milk scheme.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	We have recently consulted on this matter and are currently considering possible options.

Schools: Bullying

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department provides to schools on dealing with racist bullying.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Schools have a duty to promote race equality and it is compulsory for schools to have measures in place to prevent and tackle bullying, whatever the motivation. In March 2006 we published specialist guidance on bullying around race, religion and culture which focused on preventing and tackling racist bullying in schools. We are funding the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the national strategies to ensure this work is embedded in schools.

Schools: Bullying

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's steps to tackle racist bullying in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We have introduced an indicator on bullying that underpins the child safety public service agreement (PSA 13, NI69), and made it clear that we expect the proportion of children and young people who experience bullying to go down over the spending review period. We have made clear that we will monitor progress on this indicator using the annual TellUs survey. The Department has also set up a board to monitor progress against the PSA. The board will look at a range of evidence and data to ensure that we are making satisfactory progress against this indicator including evidence in respect of bullying related to race. We will seek to ensure that the level of racist bullying goes down in line with any general reduction.
	We are funding the Anti-Bullying Alliance and national strategies to help drive improvements in anti-bullying practice on the ground. Both organisations are working with local authorities and schools to ensure the Department's Safe to Learn guidance, including the guidance on 'Bullying Related to Race Religion and Culture, is effectively implemented on the ground.

Schools: Bullying

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with which external organisations his Department works to assist schools in countering racist bullying.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department works with the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the National Strategies to help schools counter racist bullying, and we have sought advice from the Runnymede Trust on our new and emerging policy initiatives. In addition, many of our other external partners, including ChildLine in Partnership with Schools and Beatbullying, have taken forward various programmes and initiatives with a specific focus on racist bullying.

Schools: Bullying

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the availability of professional development opportunities for teachers in relation to prevention of racist bullying.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department's anti-bullying guidance recommends that schools review general and specific staff induction and continuing professional development and identify how to ensure staff training reflects the anti-bullying policy and practice of the school. Funding for teachers' professional development is included within schools' delegated budgets which enables them to take decisions about what professional development best meets their and their teachers' needs.
	The national strategies work closely with behaviour and attendance consultants in local authorities to identify staff training needs. They look at whether this should include staff training in tackling racist bullying, as part of their work.

Schools: Bullying

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many racist incidents were recorded in schools in  (a) Leicester City local education authority and  (b) England in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: We are unable to provide figures for the number of racist bullying incidents in schools as this information is not collected centrally. Our bullying guidance recommends currently that schools record incidents of bullying and use the data to monitor their anti-bullying policies, and that local authorities use the data to identify trends and to evaluate area-wide initiatives. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 places a general, enforceable duty on all schools (and other public bodies) to: eliminate unlawful racial discrimination; promote equality of opportunity; and promote good relations between people of different racial groups.
	We intend to introduce a new statutory duty on schools to record all incidents of bullying between pupils early next year, and will specifically consult on whether schools should be obliged to record racist bullying incidents and report these incidents to their local authority.

Schools: Ceramics

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will meet representatives of the British Ceramics Confederation to discuss the contribution of ceramic table and catering ware to the Healthy Schools Programme.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I shall ask my officials from the National Healthy Schools programme to arrange a meeting with members of the British Ceramics Confederation to explore this proposal in more detail.

Schools: Crosby

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding his Department provided for schools in Crosby constituency in the last five years; and what building projects relating to schools have been undertaken in Crosby constituency in each of those years.

Jim Knight: Capital funding for schools is allocated on a local authority rather than on a constituency basis. Accordingly, records are kept on a local authority basis. Funding allocated to Sefton local authority in the past five years is set out in the following table.
	
		
			million 
			 2004-05 12.1 
			 2005-06 13.3 
			 2006-07 17.0 
			 2007-08 12.6 
			 2008-09 13.3 
		
	
	Sefton was also allocated 23.7 million in 2007-08 to rebuild one of its secondary schools, through the Building School for the Future one-school pathfinder programme.
	The Department does not keep records of individual projects, as local authorities decide priorities in their commissioning role.

Schools: Information and Communications Technology

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number of computers per child in primary schools in  (a) Crosby constituency,  (b) Merseyside and  (c) England.

Jim Knight: In 2008 there was an average of 27 computers per primary school in England. This is equivalent to one computer for every 6.25 pupils. We do not have localised figures for the constituency of Crosby or for Merseyside.

Schools: Knives

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps his Department has taken to prevent the carrying of knives by pupils in schools.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Although the illegal use of knives on school premises is not widespread, in May 2007 we introduced a power for head teachers in England to search, without consent, any pupil they suspected of carrying a weapon, the purpose being to help reduce the number of knives carried on the streets. Schools also have the powers to screen pupils at random using electronic screens or arches. Most recently, we have been encouraging schools to engage with local police in safer school partnerships in order to arrange the screening of pupils in more troubled locations.

Schools: Leyton

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding has been provided for schools in Leyton and Wanstead constituency in the last five years; and what building projects relating to schools have been undertaken in that constituency in each of those years.

Jim Knight: Allocations are made and records maintained on a local authority basis. Those made to Redbridge and Waltham Forest in the last five years are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   million 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2007-08  2008-09  Total 
			 Redbridge 16.8 20.9 17.2 17.8 15.5 88.2 
			 Waltham Forest 10.3 10.8 7.0 7.2 18.9 54.2 
			 Total 27.1 31.7 24.2 25.0 34.4 142.4 
		
	
	Waltham Forest is also benefiting from Building Schools for the Future investment. It is currently estimated that this investment will total around 250 million. In addition, Redbridge was allocated a BSF One School Pathfinder project in 2007-08, to a value of 40 million.
	As it is local authorities' responsibility to plan and commission building work, the Department does not maintain records centrally of individual projects relating to schools.

Schools: Security

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  on how many occasions schools have exercised the power to screen randomly pupils using metal detectors in arches or hand-held wands since October 2006; and how many weapons have been recovered as a result of such searches;
	(2)  how many searches without consent have been conducted by schools of pupils suspected of carrying a weapon since May 2007; and how many weapons have been recovered as a result of such searches.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Department does not collect figures on searching. Our inquiries over time suggest that few head teachers are utilising the power to search any pupil they suspect of carrying a weapon but the power is available should they decide such action is appropriate for their school. We have encouraged schools, through directors of children's services, to liaise with the police in safer school partnerships over random screening but we believe such screenings remain low in number, although figures are not collected.

Science: GCSE

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if his Department will bring forward proposals to make GCSE science courses more interesting and challenging for pupils.

Jim Knight: A new programme of study for science at Key Stage 4 was introduced into schools for first teaching from September 2006. The new curriculum maintains the breadth, depth and challenge of the previous curriculum, but has a better balance between knowledge and understanding. Pupils now learn more about the applications and implications of science (for example, global warming and genetic screening).
	GCSE specifications were also revised from September 2006 to reflect the new programme of study. The Qualification and Curriculum Authority is currently reviewing the GCSE science criteria again with a view to revised specifications being taught from September 2011: these changes will ensure that the content remains up to date and engaging, and will address concerns about the level of challenge in some assessments identified in the recent Ofqual review of the 2006 specifications. Awarding bodies have also made changes to this summer's assessments in response to the Ofqual report.

Secondary Education

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many maintained secondary schools of each type there are in England.

Jim Knight: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Type of education  Middle deemed secondary schools  Secondary schools  Grand total 
			 Community 160 1,706 1,866 
			 Foundation 21 690 711 
			 Voluntary aided 28 516 544 
			 Voluntary controlled 22 81 103 
			 Grand Total 231 2,993 3,224 
			  Source:  EduBase2.

Specialised Diplomas

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in areas in each decile of deprivation are  (a) offering at least one diploma course to pupils and  (b) part of a consortium offering at least one such course.

Jim Knight: We do not hold information on the decile of deprivation of consortia members.

Truancy: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the truancy rate for  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in the London borough of Havering was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information is collected on authorised and unauthorised absence.
	Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence for which reason is not yet established, and truancy. Information collected by my Department on absence is a more comprehensive measure of children's missed schooling. Our focus is on reducing all forms of absence, not just a small subset. The issue is not whether the pupil had permission to be absent; it is how much absence the pupil has.
	Information on absence for Havering local authority is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Primary and secondary schools( 1,2)  absence rate( 3,4)  2007/08Havering local authority 
			   2007/08 
			   Primary( 1)  Secondary( 1,2) 
			 Authorised absence rate 4.86 6.23 
			 Unauthorised absence rate 0.47 1.07 
			 Overall absence rate 5.33 7.30 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes city technology colleges and academies. (3) Includes pupils age five to 15 who were on roll for at least one session from the start of the school year up until 23 May 2008, excluding boarders. (4) The total number of half day sessions lost to authorised/unauthorised/overall absence, as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions.  Note: Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census